


Collapse of my heart

by Arabesque82 (Jj82)



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-30
Updated: 2014-04-30
Packaged: 2018-01-10 14:48:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 34,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1160956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jj82/pseuds/Arabesque82
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one has a more complicated past than Oliver. Felicity knew this, she just never thought she'd be one of its casualties. Started as a one-shot but turned into a multi-fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

She knew she should have followed her gut instead of her heart. Not following her instincts was why she was in her current situation. The reason she ran away, swearing to herself that she wouldn't look back – she'd start anew.

It happened organically small touches, long glances, and sharing confidences, not something out of the ordinary for friends. However, they made sure to do these things when they were alone, away from Digg and Isabel. They started working later hours at Queen Consolidated or going back to her apartment to continue working, at least that what they told themselves. For a while it worked no lines we crossed, they were Oliver and Felicity, until they weren't. Somehow the lines became blurred and neither knew whether or not they were crossing them. They were. Yet, they managed to keep things professional around others, after all they had yet to share a kiss.

They continued on this path for a while it wasn't until they found out Sarah was alive and the new vigilante, that they found all lines had disappeared. What unfolded wasn't out of grief or guilt, it came from longing. They both felt the gravitational pull, the need to be close to one another, the desire to be loved. It was one thing that was always present and they couldn't deny it any longer. It was that night they went from being two separate entities to becoming just one. The morning after was transformative for her, she thought he'd regret it and want to put it behind them. He didn't. He wanted to go public, give them a real shot, he said. She wasn't convinced at first, she needed more time she wanted them to be absolutely sure before they included others in their secret. He agreed, willing to give her the time she needed, he could be patient for her.

It was a blissful two months before she started to feel secure with their new circumstances. He was happy to hear that she was ready to tell Diggle, Sarah, and Thea about them. Nothing had ever felt as right as it did with Felicity. On the night they were going to let their friends in on their secret, Felicity had one more request. She asked him to be sure, one hundred and one percent sure that she was what he wanted. She said if he wasn't, if he had any doubts or lingering feeling for Laurel, to tell her then. She was giving him one chance, one get out of jail free card and he could use it now. He swore to her that he was over Laurel and didn't want anyone else but her. She believed him but she also warned that she was falling in love with him and if he changed his mind later, she wouldn't be able to handle it. If he broke her heart she would no longer be a part of his life, she wouldn't be able to handle it. Again, he swore that he wanted her and only her.

No one seemed surprised at their revelation. Sarah, said she felt the chemistry the first day she met Felicity and Digg knew it would happen eventually, Thea thought they were together since she came by the hospital to see Walter. Everyone was accepting and happy, Sarah and Digg threaten Oliver with bodily harm if he hurt her. All-in-all, it was a success, everyone was supportive and it didn't affect their working environment.

It was the best seven months of her life, for once she was deliriously happy. Everything was working out, QC was getting back on its feet, Isabel was gone for good, the Glades was slowly but surely being rebuilt, and her relationship with Oliver was stronger. Best seven months of her life and she'd always remember them that way.

It was the eighth month when things started to unravel. QC was still prospering, so were the Glades, her relationship however, had hit a rough patch. Oliver stopped spending every night with her, stating that he needed to be there for Thea. She understood, their mother was in the middle of being tried for mass murder. What she didn't understand is why he turned her down when she offered to accompany him home. He said he needed this time alone with his family and that hurt, still, she nodded and remained the supportive girlfriend. The situation went from unraveling to falling apart after finding out Laurel was second chair for the prosecution. Oliver was so mad and hurt by her betrayal that no matter what Felicity did to try to help him, he just kept pushing her away. She started doubting things when he told her he was going to visit Laurel to find out why she was prosecuting his family. She told him not to, that it may hurt his mothers case but he didn't listen. She really started to worry when he came back and told her Laurel wanted to help him, she didn't want Moira to get the death penalty so she came up with that deal. She told him she didn't want to see his mom suffer but there was little she could do if she wasn't involved. Felicity didn't see how Laurel was helping it didn't make sense to her, but then again she was known for being overly rational at times. So instead of sharing her thoughts, she gave Oliver a smile and suggested they eat dinner. A few days later he told her he was meeting with Laurel again, she had some information for him. Once again, she warned him that if they got caught it would hinder his mothers case, instead of listening to her, he blew up, calling her jealous and stating she was putting her insecurities above the life if his mother. She watched as he slammed out of her apartment, angry, going to find comfort in the one woman in loved for years.

After their fight nothing was the same, he barely came over, when they spoke it was QC or Arrow related. The worse part was that everyone noticed. Digg and Sarah were concerned for her, neither wanted to see her get hurt. They tried to get her to talk about what was going on but she refused. A few days later Sarah pulled her aside, "get out now," was her advice. She had been patrolling and went to check on her sister, she said she saw Oliver there and though they weren't doing anything bad, they were sharing wine and having a few laughs. That how her heart started to break a little bit at a time. She explained to Sarah that Laurel was helping him with his moms case. Sarah huffed, "they were not talking about Moira, that much was obvious. Just don't let him hurt you," was the last thing she said to Felicity on the topic.

They were into their ninth month now, but she wasn't sure they even had a relationship anymore. She made it a point to speak to him, even if he was avoiding her. She set a fake appointment on his calendar and when she came through the door to tell him she was his appointment he wasn't amused. She took the seat before him and told him her issues, she explained that she wasn't insecure about Laurel helping him until he made her feel that way. She explained that she was worried what would happen to his mother of they got caught. She told him that she loved him and was here for him and would support him no matter what, but to stop avoiding her. That's when it happened, when the few cracks spread, meeting one another and completely breaking her heart. He told her he wasn't angry at her but at himself. He needed time, he said, to regroup. He needed time away from her, to concentrate on his family, to be sure of what he wanted. He admitted to spending time with Laurel, swearing nothing had happened, but something had, he wasn't sure what he felt now. He said the time he had been spending with Laurel felt like his time with Felicity, effortless, and he was confused. He apologized, said he loved her, and he wasn't ending things – he was confused. He begged her to give him time to work it out, he thought once his moms trial was over he'd be more clear minded.

She just sat there and listened as all her worries before they became an item came back to slap her in the face. Shock, was what she felt she was in shock – not even a tear was shed. "I asked you to be sure, I gave you an out. You swore to me this wouldn't happen," was all she could say.

All he could do was tell her how sorry he was, how much he still loved her. But she wasn't interested in sharing his love with another woman, she deserved to be the only woman, she deserved better. That is exactly what she told him before walking out of his office and taking the seat at her desk.

She wasted no time informing HR they would need to find her a replacement as soon as possible. After that she began working on her resignation letter, giving the customary two weeks, forwarding it to HR, knowing they'd send it to Oliver. Once that was done she took out her tablet and brushed up her resume. She took the list of companies who displayed interest in her when she graduated from MIT and started sending out inquiries.

It took two days for Oliver to get her resignation and to say he was unhappy was an understatement. Calling her into his office he asked her why she was doing this, why would she hurt him this way? She didn't bother to answer, she just reminded him of his lunch meeting with and walked out. She knew she made the right decision when she realized he wasn't going to fight for her. Instead of trying to make things right, he said she was being selfish, and she was. It was her right to be, she had no one to take care of her, she had to take care of herself. He knew she had little to no family, he knew she was an only child and her parents died in an accident right after she graduated college.

She told Digg and Sarah about her plans, they both supported her but were openly hostile to Oliver. She begged them to leave him alone and not to take it out on him, she didn't want to be the reason he lost anyone else. Secretly, she showed Sarah how to use her program so that she could run the necessary checks when she was no longer around. Oliver knew she was leaving QC, but she was sure he thought she'd continue being part of team Arrow. A part of her felt guilty for leaving, but she had to.

It was towards the end of her second week that she received a job offer from Wayne Enterprises, it was a generous offer, she would be leading the IT team at the Wayne Industries division of the company. It was by far the best offer, but also the furthest. Wayne Enterprises was a good forty minute drive, she'd have to move eventually, but for the first couple months she'd deal with the commute. Things were looking up she told herself, she'd be in an important position at a company that was putting out ground breaking technology. Now she just had to tell Oliver that her replacement would start next Monday and that she'd be leaving Arrow behind as well.

She walked into his office not bothering to announce her visit, and very calmly explained to him about his new assistant. When she told him she had been training Sarah and Digg to use her system, so that they could get by without her is when he lost it. He told her he was disappointed in her, that she was running away from her problems instead of taking them head on.

All she could do was stand there as he let his anger out, and when he finished she could feel the first tear since everything blew up, slowly trickle down her face. "I warned you, I told you this would happen but you didn't listen. I can't be here anymore, it's killing me... and as much as I love you, I have to love myself more. I'm sorry Oliver, I hope you find what you're looking for and I hope it's enough for you, I obviously wasn't." Those were the last words she said to him.

The next day was her last and Oliver avoided her like the plague. She noticed that he cancelled all his appointments, and when lunch time rolled around, there was Laurel getting off the elevator to meet him. She gave Felicity a small smile before letting herself into Olivers office, a few minutes later they were walking out together. She assumed he wasn't returning which is why he cleared his schedule and it hurt. She wondered if he did it on purpose to punish her, a part of her was sure he did. She waited two hours to see if he'd be back from lunch, but at 2:05 she turned off her system, gathered her things and said goodbye to QC.

That's how she found herself working at Wayne, as a department head. She never got to use her skills at QC like she did here. Her team respected her, as well as the managers from all the other divisions. But most importantly, Lucius Fox, the CEO always showed her great respect and appreciation. Not only was she taking care of Wayne Industries, but recently she has been involved in helping their Electronics division. On a professional level she was happy and fulfilled.

Today, though, she could feel her past creep up on her. After a meeting with Lucius, who informed her that he needed her to attend a Charity Gala since many of their investors and board member would be in attendance, so that she could share her progress on her current project. He said that he was sure if the investor heard the specs from her, they wouldn't be able to turn him down when he asked for more money. He also told her that being present would only help her career, seeing as only those in attendance were involved in the most cutting edge technology.

Felicity agreed to attend and thanked him, before scurrying out. She told her assistant that she had to leave early in order to find a suitable dress for the occasion, which was a lie. She had a dress already in her closet that she never wore, she bought it for the Save the Glades Gala, she was was supposed to attend with Oliver, but they didn't last that long. Instead she went home to the apartment she didn't have the heart to let go of and cried.

It had been three months since she last saw Oliver, three months since she spoke to him. He never tried to contact her, he just let her go. She kept in touch with Sarah and Digg, but they never mentioned Oliver and she made sure not to bring him up.

That didn't mean it hurt less, she missed him everyday. For the first month she was absolutely miserable, drowning herself in work so she wouldn't have to think about him. She had packed up the few things he left behind and shipped it to Verdant. She could have given it to Digg or Sarah but she didn't want to tarnish those relationships more than she already had. It was well into her second month at Wayne that she overheard some people talking about Moira Queen's trial having to be retried. She had managed to keep away from news and gossip magazine not wanting to see Oliver and Laurel together, but after hearing about the trail she ran to her computer to google it. Apparently, Oliver and Laurel's lunch dates didn't go unnoticed and Laurel was thrown off the case, as was the plea bargain she'd arranged. Even though Moira was trying her hand at a trial, chances were she'd get life instead of death but now that it looked like the Queen family was involved in making the plea happen, it didn't look good for her. She felt for Oliver and Thea, she couldn't imagine what they were going through. She may have lost her parents but it was unexpected, she didn't have to watch as they got dragged through the dirt. She thought about reaching out to Oliver but she knew he wouldn't appreciate it, he would see it as her calling to say 'told you so.' She wished he would have listened to her but there was nothing she could do for him, Thea on the other hand was a different story. She reached out to the teen and got as much information as she could from her, she needed to know exactly what the DA had on her mom. After a tense lunch, in which Thea expressed her displeasure with the way Oliver handled their relationship and his inevitable reconciliation with Laurel. Felicity had no idea they were officially together until that moment, when Thea realized her mistake she felt horrible. Felicity assured her it was okay that she knew it was coming. Thea told her that it didn't happen immediately, it wasn't for about a month after she left that they rekindled their relationship. Thea also informed her that Oliver was miserable, even with Laurel. She said he never brought her to the house, Thea told him she was not welcomed there. A part of Felicity felt vindicated that no one else supported Oliver and Laurel's relationship, but a larger part felt for him. They may have ended things but she still loved him and wanted him to be happy. She just hoped that one day she, herself, could be happy.

After her meeting with Thea, she went home and hacked into the computer of D.A, Adam Donner. Once she had a copy of the evidence compiled against Moira, she went ahead and destroyed what she could. The e-mails they had recovered were not major, she saw that he had put a request for a computer forensic scientist, to retrieve the encrypted e-mails. It took her minutes to decrypt and permanently delete the e-mails, she replaced them with fake e-mails that made Moira look more like a victim. After messing with the e-mails, she uploaded a trojan to his work and home computer, as well as sending one to his phone. She knew when the forensic scientist broke through the encryption, he'd never know she was there. After that she looked into each and every juror to make sure, there was no conflict of interest. She found that one of the jurors spouse was a relative of an employee of the DA's office. She sent the information to the judge, stating that the juror should be released from his duty. She made the e-mail look like it was sent from another juror, anonymously, who was concerned about justice being served.

A week later, Thea showed up at her door, holding a bottle a wine and a carton of ice cream. "I know it was you," she said, slipping in past Felicity. It was the first time Thea had been to her apartment but she made herself right at home. "What are you talking about," Felicity asked, taking out two glasses.

"Laurel told Ollie, that something seemed off with the e-mails they collected and that Adams notes were erased from his computer. She suspected Ollie hired someone to do it, but he convinced her otherwise. I didn't think anything of it at first, I was happy the evidence wasn't what they were expecting, but then the judge threw a juror out after receiving an anonymous e-mail stating he had a connection to the D.A. He tore Donner a new one, stating that another incident like that would get the case dismissed. After that happened I knew it was you, that's why you drilled me at lunch the other day." Felicity tried to play it off but she knew Thea wasn't buying it. "I told Ollie that it was you and about our lunch date. He needed to know what he lost by being a prick, Felicity."

They kept to safer subjects after that but it felt good to make Thea smile, she just hoped the Queen family could come out of this with as little damage as possible.

Felicity walked to her closet and took out the gown she had spent way too much of her money on, but fell in love with. It was a Badgley Mischka, dark emerald sequin dress that was such a dark green it was almost an iron tone, with a boat neckline and a plunging V in the back, it was fitted with a black belt at the waist and a mermaid bottom. She was originally looking for something red when she bought it, but this dress just called to her. The fact that it was dark green made her laugh at the time, now she hoped that it would look more gray when she had it on. She knew she'd run into Oliver at this event. There was no way that the CEO of Queen Consolidated would miss such an important function.

The night of the event came much faster than anticipated. Felicity was rushing to finish curling her hair, so she could get her dress and shoes on. The company was sending a car to pick her up and it was scheduled to be here in ten minutes. Her rush did nothing to ease her nerves, she still wasn't ready to see Oliver after three months apart. Throwing on her shoes and slipping into her dress, she rushed downstairs to wait for the car in the lobby of her building. The only upside to tonight was that she knew Thea would be there too. She had spoken to the teen yesterday, listening to her moan and groan about having to go, then screaming in excitement when Felicity informed her she'd be there too. Seeing the car pull up she rushed out of the building and into the warmth of the sedan.

The event was held at the museum of sciences, it looked incredible. Felicity couldn't help the awe she felt, every room was beautiful. Instead of trying to mask the fact that this was a science museum, the décor only enhanced it. None of the exhibitions were removed, they were left alone for peoples enjoyment. Composing herself she looked around the room for her boss, walking over when she spotted him.

He was in conversation with another gentleman, she didn't want to be rude and interrupt but she was instructed to find him when she arrived .

"Excuse me," giving him a small smile, "I'm sorry to interrupt you," she began saying.

"Nonsense," Lucius said, cutting her off. "You arrived just in time. Allow me to introduce you to the true head of the company, Bruce Wayne."

The man with Lucius gave her a once over and broke out into a smile. She had heard plenty about the illusive , had seen him in tabloids, but it was the first time she was meeting him in person.

Stretching out her hand to him, "It's a pleasure to meet you sir," she managed to get out without rambling. Bruce Wayne was a very good looking man and he knew it.

She could feel herself blush when he grasped her hand to shake it, his thumb caressing her skin.

"Likewise, Ms. Smoak. Lucius, here has been singing your praises, says you're the brightest mind in all of Wayne Enterprises."

Shocked and flattered at his words, she couldn't help but to give a big smile. "Thank you, that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said."

Lucius grabbed a glass of champagne from a waiter and handed it to her. "A toast, if I may. Welcome, , I hope in time you'll see us like family as we change the world together."

"Cheers," they said touching their glasses together. Both Lucius and Bruce were giving her looks she couldn't quite understand. It was as if they had a secret conversation.

"Felicity, may I call you Felicity?" Bruce Wayne asked her.

"Of .. of course, you're my boss... I mean you can call Felicity, not because you're my boss but because I prefer it" She stammered, cursing herself in her head.

Bruce laughed at her rant and continued like nothing happened. "Well, Felicity," he said her name in almost a whisper. She noticed Lucius looked entertained. "If I may ask, you said earlier what Lucius said about was the best compliment you've ever had, but obviously you are a very beautiful woman. I'm sure that has been remarked on many times."

She wasn't sure if he was flirting with her, mocking her, or if he was just plain curious. She wished she had worn her glasses now, it would give her a reason to fidget. "Was that an actual question?" She asked, still confused as to where he was going with this.

"You're right, I should have been more clear. Allow me to say that you are a very beautiful woman, if you haven't been told so before then let me be the first."

She couldn't believe he was flirting with her, if she wasn't so nervous or heart broken she'd be ecstatic. But the man before her was another billionaire playboy and one of those in a lifetime was enough for her.

"You're not the first to tell me that, and while I'm flattered it doesn't hold much importance to me. You can't control what you look like, I mean sure you can enhance or hide things with makeup, but at the end of the day you look the way you look. Being told that I am one of the brightest minds, in a field dominated by men, whom most don't feel I belong in their club, is the greatest compliment I've received. It means my dedication, hard work, and passion is obvious through my work. So commenting on my mind will always overpass any opinion based on my looks." She said, knowing she just told off the head of her company and not caring.

"My apologies, Felicity. It was not my intention to offend you, I find both your mind and your appearance quite appealing."

Felicity mustered a small smile and excused herself, she needed another glass of champagne. As she was walking away, she heard Lucius say "I think she'll work quite well." she wasn't sure what he meant but she wasn't going to worry about it now.

Felicity was trying to find a server to grab another glass of champagne, when she spotted Thea walking in the room. She noticed her looking around and walked up to her.

"Thank god you found me this is so boring," the teen complained.

"Where's Roy?" she asked wondered if Thea had come alone.

Rolling her eyes at the mention of her boyfriend, "he didn't want to come. So I got a ride with Ollie and his trampy girlfriend."

"Thea!" Felicity scolded, "don't say things like that especially here, where people may hear you and tomorrow it'll be in the papers."

"Like I care," shrugging her shoulders, "she knows how I feel about her. I made sure of it in the car."

Felicity sighed, she spotted a server coming towards them and grabbed two glasses from him handing one to Thea. "You didn't get it from me," she whispered.

"Please, they don't ID here. By the way, you look amazing that dress was made for you."

Felicity looked down at her dress a soft smile on her face, "thanks." She saw Thea's face turn angry and turned to see what she was looking at. Coming towards them were Oliver and Laurel, neither of which looked happy. Turning back around she took a deep breath a downed the rest of her drink. "Take it easy there, slugger." Thea said, the concern evident on her face.

"Maybe I should just go-" Thea interrupted her before she could finish, "you need to do this. For you. You have to face him and either win his ass back after making him pay, which is what I vote for or to at least show him you don't need him and move on."

Felicity wondered when the eighteen year-old became so wise. Knowing she was right she plastered a smile on her face a squared her shoulders.

"Thea, I've been looking for you," she heard Olivers voice as he approached. She didn't know if he knew who Thea was talking to but the sound of his voice made her gut twist.

Thea gave him a mocking smile, "sorry, I just ran into Felicity and we were catching up."

Turning to face him she gave him a small smile, "Hi Oliver," she said turning to his date, "nice to see you again Laurel." Laurel mustered up a fake smile but didn't return the sentiment.

Thea, taking advantage of Laurel's discomfort and wanting to rub salt in the wound. "Laurel, you remember Felicity, she was his girlfriend for like almost a year. The longest he's ever been in a relationship without cheating."

"Thea!" Oliver and Felicity scolded at the same time.

Giving them both an innocent look, "what? It's the truth though, geez you guys are touchy, sorry." She said, obviously not meaning it.

Oliver looked over at Felicity, she noticed he gave her a once over and realized he recognized the dress. He should, after all she modeled it for him.

"It's nice to see you again, Felicity." She could hear the strain in his voice, noting he was not in face happy to see her.

"You too," she replied lamely. She looked over to Laurel who seemed to have checked out of the conversation, instead was looking around the room.

She was about to excuse herself when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Before she could turn to see who was touching her and why they were getting such a negative reaction from Oliver, the man worked his way into the circle.

"Queen, nice to see you again," Bruce Wayne said jovially then turning his attention to Thea. "Thea Queen, a baby no more, lovely to see you again. Last time we meet I think you were about ten years old, now look at what a lovely woman you've become."

She could see that Thea was putty in his hands, giving him a big smile. "Thank you."

"Miss Lance, always a pleasure," he said shaking Laurels hand and emitting the first real smile from her.

"If you will all excuse me, I need to steal Felicity. A few of our investors want to hear her talk about her new project."

"You're working at Wayne?" Oliver asked before she got pulled away.

Bruce looked from Felicity to Oliver, "I'm sorry, I thought he knew." She didn't understand why he said in that way, making it seem there was more to it than just work.

"It's okay, Oliver and I haven't talked since I left. We both have been so busy I didn't get a chance to tell him but it's not a secret." She gave everyone a small smile, "If you would excuse me, I have to work. It was nice seeing you all, again."

Thea gave her a quick hug and promised to call her in the upcoming week. As she walked away with Bruce, she overheard Oliver asking Thea if she knew about her employment with Wayne.

It was a long night, she explained her work to so many people, so many different times that she was sure she'd be dreaming of it. She was looking forward to a weekend of sitting in bed and watching TV. She didn't speak to Oliver or Thea the rest of the night, they much like herself spent the night working, trying to get new investors. But they were in her line of sight a few times and at times she swore she could feel Olivers stare. At one point they made eye contact but before she could look away she caught Laurel giving her a dirty look. Perhaps she was reading too much into it. What could Laurel have against her? After all, she and Oliver were over when Felicity started dating him and she was the one that managed to take him right back. She saw them one last time when they were leaving, she was still talking to investors and was there for another hour before she was able to go home. Lucius and Bruce thanked her for her help and saw her off.

She walked into her apartment and toed off her shoes at the door, she'd put them away tomorrow. She grabbed her phone and placed an order for pizza, though it was a little late to eat she was starving. She walked to her room to remove her dress and makeup, looking forward to sitting on her couch with pizza and ice cream. Watching this weeks Scandal was sure to take her mind off of Oliver. She was in the bathroom cleaning her face when she heard her door open. Positive that she locked it when she came in, she turned off the faucet and cracked open the bathroom door, hoping to see something she could protect herself with, she saw a figure standing in her room. One that was very familiar to her, one she thought she would never see again inside her room, and she got mad.

Opening the door, "what are you doing here and how did you get in?" She asked arms crossed not moving from the doorway.

Oliver turned to look at Felicity, he knew he shouldn't have come but he was so livid that she was working for Wayne. He was even more angry that she kept in touch with his sister, Diggle, and even Sarah but to hell with him.

"I found it interesting that you're working for Wayne and by the looks of things you two are awfully comfortable with each other. Is that how you landed such a high position? Thea told me in the car that you're the head of your department."

She was dumbfounded at first at his accusations, how cold he think that of her? But she went from shocked, to sad, to royally pissed off in seconds.

"Who do you think you are, breaking into my house as if you have any right to be here. You lost that right when you lied to me and played with my emotions, you lost that right when you turned your back on me and returned to Laurel. How dare you accuse me of sleeping with Bruce Wayne, who isn't even my boss, you dumb ass. He may be the majority holder of Wayne, but I hadn't met him until tonight. As for you coming here demanding answers, this will be the only and last time. Next time you break in I will call the police, I am not your secretary anymore, you do not tell me what to do with my life or where to work. As for my position, which I am extremely qualified for was offered to me by Lucius Fox, CEO. For the first time in years I am putting my skills to use somewhere I am appreciated, instead of being your glorified assistant and secret girlfriend. But that worked for you in the end didn't it, you got exactly what you wanted. Well I hope it doesn't come back to bite you in the ass, again, for the hundredth time" She didn't realize she had been yelling or the fact that she had moved away from the bathroom and straight into Olivers space. She took a deep breath and stepped back, "Please leave."

Oliver looked contrite, he knew he fucked up the seconds the words were out of his mouth. "No, I'm not leaving. If you want to be head of a department then you can do so at Queen, it needs you. And I didn't break in, you gave me a key, remember?"

"I am not going back to Queen," she said holding out her hand, "give me my key and get out."

Oliver sat down on her bed defeated, "I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't mean it. I was just so angry that you left me and that your working at Wayne. I didn't believe you'd leave for real, I thought we'd work out our differences. I need you, Queen needs you, Arrow needs you. Nothing in my life is right if you're not there. Please, Felicity, come back."

She wanted to, she wouldn't deny that but she wanted to do it for him because even after all the pain she went through, she still loved him. "I can't. I told you this from the very beginning Oliver, I told you not to play with my emotions and you swore you wouldn't. Things can never go back to how they were, never. Because at the end of the day I loved you more than anything, and you barely loved me at all. So I will be staying at Wayne and away from you and one day I'm going to meet a man who will love me back."

"I did love you, I asked you for space. I never ended things, I asked for time, I was confused but you walked away." He yelled, springing up from her bed. "So what was I left with? You ran out of my life the moment things got hard, so don't put this just on me."

She couldn't believe he wasn't taking any of the blame and putting solely on her shoulders. "That is the biggest bullshit to ever come out of your mouth and you know it. I offered my help every step of the way, I told you not to see Laurel, I told you it would hinder your mother's case. I offered to look into it and try to help but you refused, you decided to trust Laurel and where did that get you? You may have been confused but you checked out of our relationship a month before it ended. I know you were seeing Laurel at night and I know it had nothing to do with your mom. Even if nothing happened, sitting down and have a glass of wine with your ex taking a trip down memory lane, while your current girlfriend is worried about you because you won't answer her calls is pretty shitty if you ask me." She could see the surprise on his face at what she revealed, she was thankful Sarah had the heart to tell her. "I watched you for a month fall back into the Laurel trap and I wasn't the only one. So you got the girl you wanted but you lost your source of information, you can't have it all."

"Nothing happened, ever. We didn't even start dating until a couple months ago, she knew I was with you. I don't know how you know the things you do, but it meant nothing.."

"at the time," Felicity finished for him, "but it means something now. When I left you didn't fight for me, you never showed me that I was who you wanted. I'm not perfect Oliver, but I deserve someone who thinks I am. I deserve someone who is going to love me first and you're not that person. I hope Laurel makes you happy, I really do because you deserve it. The only way I'm going to ever find that is away from you, I can't move on if you're always around."

He crowded her, looking down at her, the regret was written plainly on his face. "Maybe, I don't want you to move on."

Taking a couple steps back, refusing to allow him to draw her back. "I know you don't, you need that safety blanket, like you had with Laurel when you were with me. But I am not going to be that for you, If it's me than it has to be only me. Good luck ever convincing me of that, I think it's just too little too late." She said wiping the tears off her face."

"Then why help my mother, I know you hacked the DA. Why help me if you want to move on?" He asked, trying to hold onto something.

"Thea, she needs her mom, she's lost so much and your mom doesn't deserve to pay for Malcolms crimes. When I heard about the retrial and the plea being taken off the table I had to do something. I hope it works and she's freed, for you and for Thea, you all need each other."

"Laurel thinks you did it, hack the D.A. She remembered me saying something about you being a computer whiz, she thought I put you up to it. I told her it wasn't you, told her you hated me. But she's convinced you're guilty and she wants justice."

Felicity scoffed at that, she may have not known Laurel personally, but she knew enough about her to know this was about Oliver. "She doesn't care about justice, she wants to nail my ass to the wall because I did the one thing she couldn't. Don't worry about me, it's gonna take more skill than Laurel or any other computer geek out there has to figure it out. I have a fail safe in place, it won't ever lead back to me, but lets say they were to get someone who could break through all of my codes, it'll lead to someone... just not me." She said with a small smile and she knew that he figured out that she set up Laurel to take the fall were she to try to take her down. That was, if they could find someone good enough to get that far and she highly doubted they could, the only person she knew of with the skill besides herself would never work for the government.

"I think it's time for you to go, Oliver."

He looked at her one more time, hoping she'd give in. "Is there even the slightest chance?"

"The fact that you're in a relationship and trying to get me back doesn't bode well for you. You need to be a better man, you need to be the man I know you can be. I don't know if things will ever work out, I don't know if I have it in me to forgive you. But I do know that you don't know what you want and that's no where near good enough for me."

He stepped away from her, resigned to leave. "Bruce is not a good guy, stay weary of him, he'll only break your heart more."

"My only interest in Bruce is his Technology division," she assured.

Oliver pulled the key off of his key ring and handed it back to her. "I know what I want, I just have to find a way to show you and I will."

She watched him go, upset that her relaxing night was now ruined. She locked the door and looked down at the key he gave her, it was the wrong one.


	2. Chapter 2

Oliver knew he was being unreasonable but he couldn't help himself. Felicity was right, he let her walk out of his life, and he didn't fight for her. He was a coward. He remembered coming down from his anger after she left his office and toying with the idea of following her. Knowing she would have come back had he been honest and set things straight. But he couldn't help feeling she was better off, she deserved better than someone who was constantly at war with his own feelings, who didn't carry five years of baggage and many more years of guilt.

He should have listened to her and stayed away from Laurel, not just for his mother's sake but his own. He hadn't even thought of Laurel in the time he and Felicity were together. They'd sometimes run into her at functions but their interactions were brief. When he approached Laurel about her involvement in his mother's case and found out she was trying to help, it felt like the old Laurel. The one the cared for him and his family, the one that he spent five years dreaming about. It confused him. Rationally, he knew the love he felt for Laurel wasn't romantic; not like what he felt for Felicity. All the same it perplexed him, he found himself enjoying her company again – as a friend. His downfall was that he had no idea how to tell Felicity, he knew she still felt a bit insecure when it came to Laurel. So instead of manning up and being honest with her, he tried to juggle them both while keeping them apart. Not realizing at the time how the situation would look to outside eyes, a stupid oversight, one that cost him everything. Now he knew that cutting Laurel from his life was the only way he'd have real relationship with Felicity, since the trust was gone, but he wasn't sure he could do that.

The months after Felicity left were an eye-opener for him, especially where Laurel was concerned. The girl that he loved while he was on the Island didn't exist anymore. The sweet caring Laurel who put up with his crap and turned the other cheek when he misbehaved died along with him years ago. The woman that replaced her was hard, untrusting and angry. He made her this way, it was his fault. Could he really abandon her to be happy? The idea didn't sit well with him; he wanted to help her, particularly since he had such a hand in destroying her.

So he punished one woman to save the other. He knew Felicity would eventually move on and find a man deserving of her affections. He loved her enough to let her go, no matter how much it hurt him. After the first month that train of thought became his mantra, and every day became easier, he told himself. He even rekindled his romance with Laurel, there had been a few happy moments, and it wasn't so bad. Laurel was the one to approach the possibility of being together. She told him she still loved him despite of all the things he did. She assumed that he and Felicity ended things due to the time he was spending with her. He assured her that the break-up was a mutual thing but that Felicity felt weird working with him now, so she was heading to a new company. At the time he didn't know how true his words were. He assumed that after a little time Felicity would return to help Arrow, and things would go back to the way they were when they were just friends. It was wishful thinking.

Any possibility of Felicity returning, of having her around again flew out the door tonight. He had avoided finding out what company she worked at, knowing any company would be thrilled to have such talent. He should have figured she'd go to the best in Technology, something QC used boast, before it was associated with domestic terrorism. When he saw her speaking to Thea, he felt compelled to be close to her, even though he knew he should avoid her and go the other way. It was like a magnetic force was pulling him, he forgot about Laurel in that moment and made his way over to them. As he approached he recognized the dress she was wearing, he remembered her modeling it for him. She was going to wear it to the Save the Glades charity Gala, QC was sponsoring. He started to feel angry again, that dress was meant to be worn with him, it had meaning. He couldn't help but run his eyes over her, it had been three long months since he saw her, and now all of the feelings he tried to bury came floating up.

He had a moment of clarity in that instant. Everything he'd done wrong and how damaged he really was came to the forefront. He couldn't save Laurel, he couldn't keep holding onto that guilt. A part of him would always love her, he survived those five years because of her. She became the sanctuary he was constantly moving towards and when he got back it was hard to let go of that. But Felicity was his reality, she loved him entirely without judgment and he lost her – let her go. The conversation was strained and Thea managed to make everything more uncomfortable with her comments. Add in Laurels dismissive attitude towards Felicity and he was sure the night couldn't get worse. Of course the universe wasn't finished with him yet, when Bruce Wayne came to interrupt, and with a familiar hand on Felicity's shoulder, led her away. That was the real turning point for him that evening. He realized he would never be okay with Felicity moving on. He wanted to be the person that made her happy, he wanted to be the man she moved onward with. The rest of the evening was torture, he had to force himself to concentrate the company needed him. He made his rounds for a couple hours trying to seduce new investors. At times he couldn't help himself and found himself looking for her, their eyes meeting occasionally. After a while Laurel requested they go home, he knew she was in a mood since they ran into Felicity, so he acquiesced not wanting to deal with her ire. They left Thea at the club so that she could go back home with Roy.

Expecting the silent treatment from Laurel on the ride home he was surprised when she brought up Felicity. "I still think she did it, hack Adams computer… erasing his notes. That's the only way they would have been erased from his work and home computer. Not to mention that all information on his cell phone was wiped clean, the phone tech couldn't even save his contacts." She said looking at him expectantly.

"How many times do I have to say this, Laurel? Felicity didn't do it, in case you haven't noticed she doesn't like me very much right now." He said, hoping she'd drop it and let things be.

He could tell his words had very little effect. "She may hate you Ollie, but she sure seemed friendly with Thea. What's not to say she did it for her?"

Oliver didn't want to be having this conversation again, he knew Felicity was responsible, Thea said as much. He didn't know why Laurel had it out for her though. "I don't know what you have against Felicity, I haven't seen or heard from her in months you need to leave her alone. Do your investigation; I'm positive it won't lead to her. Felicity wouldn't break the law like that, not for me or Thea. Anyhow, I thought you said you wanted to help my mom, so why are you so worried about who hacked Donner."

"I'm a lawyer, Oliver, I fight for justice according to the law. Whoever hacked the District Attorney's office needs to be held accountable. My investigation into the hacking will have no impact on your mom's case. In fact, with the way things are going I have a feeling she'll be getting a much lesser sentence than she deserves."

Her comment disturbed Oliver, he knew his mother was guilty but to hear Laurel say she deserved a harsher sentence than what she assumed she'd get was disconcerting. "What do you mean deserves? You really want my mom to do time? I know she made some horrible decisions but she came forward, she tried to help. She lived for five years in fear for what little family she had left. Malcolm terrorized her."

"I'm sorry Ollie," she said, not sounding the least bit contrite. "I know she's your mom but hundreds of people died. I know she was a victim but she should have come forward earlier, if she had this may have been prevented. I don't want your mom to rot in jail or be sentenced to death. But she should serve some time, she shouldn't get off scot-free that's not fair to those who lost loved ones."

"You had no problems breaking those laws when we were meeting up to talk about my mom's case, but I guess the rules of law don't apply to you." At this point he was just angry and wanted to be out of her presence.

The car pulled up to Laurels apartment building, "I guess you're not coming up?" she asked ignoring his comment and picking up her clutch.

Oliver couldn't make himself muster up a smile, "not tonight."

"You know I love you, right?" he nodded his head but didn't return the sentiment. He watched Laurel walk into her building and directed the driver to take him back to Verdant. He wanted to change before dropping in to visit Felicity. It was high time they had a talk.

He knew surprising Felicity at home wasn't the wisest decision. He knew better than to expect her to forget everything and want him back, but he had to see her and he was glad he did. Even though she kicked him out, she also gave him hope that one day she'd forgive him. Whether she meant to or not… it was enough for him. While most men would've accepted Felicity's rejection and moved on – he was not most men. The fact that she admitted to still loving him gave him just enough to courage to fight for her. 'Too little, too late,' is what she told him last night but he wouldn't be deterred. e just hHe just had to be sure that no one would be an obstacle for him.

He believed her when she said it was her first time meeting Bruce Wayne and that she had no interest in him. However, that didn't mean Wayne had no interest in her. He knew Wayne was relentless when he wanted something, that's why he needed to make it clear to the man that she was unavailable. Requesting a meeting under the pretense of business was risky, if she found out it could ruin their chance of reconciliation. But he just couldn't help himself; he wanted to be sure Wayne knew where they stood.

He watched the man charm the hostess as she led him to the table. "Oliver," Bruce started, as he sat himself, "I would say it's been a while but I saw you the other night. I'm glad you called, I've been wondering about you since your return from death."

"You and the rest of the world, seems like that's all anyone is interested in… well, that and who I'm sleeping with." Oliver said, with an easy smile.

Bruce called over the waiter and ordered himself a drink and look pointedly to Oliver's water. Oliver ordered a glass a wine, not really wanting to imbibe. "Got to keep up appearances, don't we?" Bruce asked. "If the cameras caught us having lunch and drinking water, it would kill our reputations."

Oliver couldn't care less what people thought about their drink choice. He had a purpose and he wouldn't allow himself to be distracted. "So, this isn't really a business meeting -''

"I know," Bruce said cutting him off, "but it should be. Your company could use a joint venture with Wayne Enterprises, and in return Wayne would benefit from having access to your applied sciences division. Just because you called this meeting in regard to one of our employees doesn't mean we can't help each other."

Oliver studied the man in front of him they'd met a few times in the past before the island. Oliver never paid much attention to Bruce, he was busy being young, rich, and stupid. But he remembered the rumors about the return of the only heir to Wayne Enterprises. Bruce Wayne was in the tabloids more often than not, usually for doing something to embarrass the company. "How did you know I wanted to talk about Felicity?"

Smiling and taking a sip of his wine, "after my offer of joining forces you still wish to speak of Felicity. Well, it's obvious you two were involved, how you kept it from the media I don't know. Why else would someone so young suddenly leave such an important position? I mean according to her resume, she went from working in the IT department to being your executive assistant, I personally would have left that part out. Honestly, when I read the first page of her resume, I set it aside, wasn't interested."

Oliver couldn't help the grimace that appeared on his face, he understood what Bruce meant and he didn't like it. Felicity didn't deserve to be viewed in that way. "Then why did you hire her if he resume didn't impress you."

"Lucius insisted I read through the whole thing, three pages to be exact. Nowadays, people tend to keep their resumes short and sweet two pages max, but hers was a full three. The second page was a list of skills and pending patents. I'm sure you know that Ms. Smoak, has four pending patents – all of which will make her a rich woman one day. Granted she still has a good year, year and a half before the patents go through, and then she would have to decide whether or not she wants to market them. I know at least two the government would be interested in."

Oliver contemplated what Bruce told him. He and Felicity never talked about her inventions, he knew she used some of them to help them out when they were at the foundry. He remembered her saying something about a patent but didn't really pay it any mind, but he had no idea she had four pending. "Why would she put that on her resume?"

"Simple, really, to entice the employer… the patent is basically already hers and there was very little information supplied besides basic function. However, she could put her programs to use as long as she was with the company, which makes her very appealing. It also gives her an advantage, were she to leave the company, she owns the patent, they go where she goes. A shrewd move on her part."

Oliver wondered what else he didn't know about, what else she didn't tell him because he was too consumed with himself. He was never faced with the depth of his selfishness, until now. "Well, Felicity is a remarkable woman that much should be obvious," he said.

"It is and at Wayne Enterprises it's appreciated. She has a level of intelligence and understanding I've never come across before, all wrapped into a sweet young woman who has a tendency to ramble."

Oliver didn't like the tone of admiration in Bruce's voice. "Everything you said about her is true… but you forgot to add she's trusting and tends to overlook the bad in people. She's not someone for you to toy with, I saw you with her at the Gala, and you seemed overly friendly."

"Ah, I wondered when you would broach the true reason of this meeting. Am I encroaching on your territory? Because I can almost guarantee you that would not appreciate you treating her as such. In fact the night of the Gala, she gave me a tongue lashing after I made a comment about her appearance. No, Felicity Smoak is a modern woman; she's not looking to be anyone's property… is that why she left?"

Oliver knew Bruce was trying to goad him, he also knew there was nothing he could do about it. Felicity had left him because he acted like a grade 'A' asshole. "Stay away from Felicity or I will make you regret it. Stick to your regular party girls and models, Felicity is not only out of your league but too young for you."

Bruce broke out laughing; composing himself he leaned forward, lower his voice to a whisper. "Or what… will the Arrow be paying me a visit?"

Oliver quickly hid his shock at that question, there was no way he knew. Felicity would never tell anyone his secret. "I have no idea what you're talking about," his tone hard.

Bruce leaned back in his chair and studied the man before him. "You and I are not so different. We both lost family, we both make sure to live up to our reputations, and we both carry secrets. You were marooned on an island where I gather you were not alone, I traveled the world in order to learn to survive, and you had to survive. I sought out this life, you were a victim of circumstance – beyond that we're the same. Did your story not sound familiar? Billionaire son returns and a masked vigilante pops up, the fact that more people don't know about you and me proves that most of this world lives in denial and fear." It was clear what Bruce was telling him, risky, admitting to a secret life.

Oliver had no idea what to say, he was aware that some people had their suspicions and some Like ARGUS knew of his identity. He heard of the Batman but never assumed he'd be Bruce Wayne. "What now? You know who I am and I know who you really are. I don't see how that has anything to do with why we are here."

"It has everything to do with it. I'm assuming Felicity knows the truth about you, given time I'm sure she'll figure out the truth about me. We both have a small team of people we trust, maybe we could help each other."

Even knowing his secret, Oliver didn't really trust Bruce Wayne. He could tell the man had more secrets than just dressing up as a human bat a night. "I have no interest in teaming up with you in business or anything else for that matter. My only interest with you is Felicity."

"Well that's too bad because Queen Consolidated needs Wayne. In fact it was your friend who suggested we team up knowing it would be beneficial for both parties. How else do you plan on removing Roschev from your company? She has no interest in helping you, she wants you gone. Face it she has too much power, equal rights to your company… you need more capital and with Wayne you'll get it. She wouldn't want that, she needs you to fail, to start selling your shares to keep Queen going and when you do, she'll buy them all up."

"What do you get out of it? I'm not stupid, you're not pushing a partnership to help me… what's in it for you?"

"I already told you, your applied sciences division. Queen has a couple special machines that are patented. I would profit heavily if I had access to those machines, in turn you would be privy to Wayne resources. It's a win-win, I have no interest in damaging your company only enhancing my own."

"Did Felicity come to you with this idea?" He asked wondering if they had been in contact since the Gala.

Bruce shook his head at Oliver, "you have a one track mind, but as you get older you'll learn how to prioritize. She went to Lucius before I met her, told him that Wayne needed access to certain machines belonging to Queen. He brought it to my attention at the Gala, I would have talk to you then but you seemed to have left early."

"I'd be open to a meeting with you, Lucius, and Felicity to see how this partnership would work."

"We usually don't include people in position for those meetings," he pointed out.

Oliver didn't care, this was his opportunity, "Her idea, let her sell it to me."

"Very well, I'll have Lucius set it up," he said, gesturing to the waiter and asking for the check. "For the record I'm only eleven years older than Ms. Smoak, my last girlfriend was younger than her. But don't worry, she made it clear she wasn't interested and I rather have her on my team than in my bed… but don't doubt were she to change her mind, well, I wouldn't deny her. I think that gives you a nice window to figure things out with her. Don't you? See you soon, Queen." Bruce then walked away a smug smile firmly in place. Oliver was still young and had a lot to learn, if he were wise he'd accept his offer.

As Oliver watched him leave; he was surprised at how quickly Bruce went from business man to playboy in a span of seconds.

The day of the meeting at Wayne finally rolled around and Oliver was a mess. He knew he wouldn't have an opportunity to speak to Felicity alone, especially since Isabel was joining him. A part of him was happy about it, he still hadn't ended things with Laurel. He wasn't sure how to go about it but he knew it had to happen soon, he couldn't take the risk of Felicity asking about her, which was why he was leaving Wayne straight after the meeting. He was prepared to jump into any venture with Wayne so long as it brought him closer to Felicity. He wasn't worried about Queen, he knew she'd never suggest something that would damage the company. He knew he could trust Felicity's judgment and he wanted to show her that. He may have ignored her advice in the past but he swore that he'd be better, for her.

The car ride with Isabel was tense, neither of them felt the need to pretend to get along when they were alone. Oliver knew that her disdain for him was just that much stronger after he turned down her recent advances. He figured that his rejection was a hit to her ego, but he was pretty sure it was more of a dent in her plans. He knew she was a manipulative woman, he wouldn't put it past her to try and use sex as a way to control him. But he would not be making that mistake with her, not only was he still technically with Laurel, he would never do that to Felicity. He was faithful to Felicity all through their relationship and he'd continue to be if they reconciled.

He looked over his notes again, making sure all of his questions were written down. He had visited his mother to tell her about his meeting, surprisingly, she was supportive. She said that Wayne would be a much better partner than Isabel Roschev. He admitted it was Felicity's idea when she started to say how proud she was of his initiative, but that didn't seem to put a damper on her praise. "It makes me proud to know that I raised a man confident enough to love a woman like Felicity. Believe it or not, most men would feel threaten by a woman of her intellect." Oliver appreciated his mother's compliment, she knew what had transpired between them. She still believed he had a chance with Felicity, but warned that a woman like her may forgive him once but never again.

When the car pulled up to Wayne Enterprises, Oliver collected himself. It was show-time.


	3. Chapter 3

Felicity quickly made her way to the conference room where Wayne Enterprises would be meeting with Queen Consolidated. When she mentioned to Lucius that both companies would benefit from a joint venture, she never imagined they'd expect her to present her idea. She assumed she'd be safely tucked into her office on the twenty seventh floor; dealing with things that had to do with her department. Instead, he had informed her that her presence was required today and that he wanted her to present her ideas to Oliver Queen and Isabel Roschev. Initially she tried to get out of it, stating she had no prior experience at such meetings but Lucius insisted that she would do fine. Once she realized that she had no choice but to do what was asked of her, she set out to make sure she was well prepared. She spent the last few days writing out talking points for the meeting and making information guides for those attending.

This morning she juggled with her wardrobe knowing Isabel had taken issue to her attire while she was employed at Queen but wearing the one pant suit she owned seemed phony. Reminding herself that Isabel was no longer her boss or someone who held any sort of power over her, she decided on a simple sleeveless red dress with a cut out neckline.

She noticed one of the assistants had been in the conference room before her. There was a setup of pastries, a carafe of coffee and one of tea there were also bagels, she noted happily. She placed one of the guides in front of each chair and helped herself to a cup of coffee. Though she had two cups earlier, an extra cup would just help ease her nerves. She decided to make herself busy until Lucius arrived - she wasn't sure where she should seat herself, so she thought best to wait for him. She set up her laptop and set it up so it would stream to the large TV at the end of the table, synched her tablet to it so she could walk around and still control her computer. Once she had her tech setup she glanced at her watch. There were still five minutes before Lucius arrived and another ten before Oliver and Isabel were due. Figuring she had a few minutes, she grabbed a napkin and helped herself to a pastry. Not wanting to get crumbs at the table she moved to the small table at the end of the conference room, usually where support staff would sit, in case needed. She was half way through her pastry and coffee when the door opened behind her and she heard Susan, Lucius assistant, telling someone he would be there in a moment. She didn't have to turn to know who arrived five minutes too early. She discreetly wiped her mouth and discarded the remainder of her snack, before getting up to greet them.

Turning towards them, Felicity mustered a smile, "hi. Mr. Fox should be joining us shortly but while you're waiting please help yourself… there's coffee, tea, bagels, and pastries.

Isabel gave her a critical look, "I'll have a coffee, splash of cream and a half a teaspoon of sugar." She said to Felicity before seating herself next to the head of the table.

Oliver gave her an apologetic smile, "it's good to see you," giving her a once over and taking the seat besides Isabel. He knew he had to be on his best behavior around Felicity right now.

Felicity felt her hackles rise, she never served this woman coffee when she was at Queen and she definitely wouldn't do so here. "Feel free to help yourself, as you can see everything is within your arms reach." She said turning around and walking to the end of the table pretending to work on her computer.

Isabel scoffed at the young blonde, "I see you haven't learned how to be a useful assistant. How you became Lucius Fox's assistant I'll never know." She said ignoring the coffee as if the thought of having to pour it for herself was demeaning.

Oliver felt the need to defend Felicity, "Isabel, Felicity is not an assistant. She's-''

"No, she isn't, she is the head of Technology in our industries division," Lucius said, interrupting Oliver and by the look of surprised on Isabel's face, shocking her. "I apologize for my tardiness, my conference call with our London sector ran late."

Oliver and Isabel stood to shake the man's hand. It was the first time, Oliver thought, that he saw Isabel smile.

Lucius took a seat at the head of table and called over to Felicity, "leave your computer for a moment and enjoy some of these treats Susan ordered for us. If my wife saw me I'd be in a lot of trouble," he told everyone, as he helped himself to coffee and an assortment of pastries.

Felicity decided Isabel would be civil so long as Lucius was present, he wouldn't allow anything less. It was one of the things she admired most about him; he treated everyone regardless of their position, equally. "I already helped myself to a croissant," sitting in the chair next to him.

"One? These are from Lalique bakery, you can't just have one," turning his attention to Oliver and Isabel. "Have either of you had a pastry, trust me you can't get these in Starling."

Oliver gave the older man a smile and grabbed a croissant to go with his coffee. He knew Isabel wouldn't eat anything, she didn't believe food should be at meetings, she called it a distraction.

"So Mr. Fox," Isabel started, "I'm curious what Ms. Smoak is doing here. I was under the impression that this meeting was a proposal for a working relationship."

"Your questions will all be addressed soon, Ms. Roschev. We are simply waiting on one more to join us."

Felicity didn't realize their group wasn't complete, she was glad now that she made several extra information packets. Excusing herself, she walked to the area she put her things and came back with one more, setting it on the table next to her.

Lucius pulled Isabel and Oliver in conversation as they waited, she drifted in and out of it noting that Lucius enjoyed talking about his family. Only a few minutes passed before the door swung open and a contrite looking Bruce Wayne walked in.

"The traffic in Gotham gets worse every day, it's that damn Batman. According to the radio the police were chasing him again, holding up the rest of us." He gave Oliver a pointed look before taking the seat beside Felicity, "I hope I didn't miss much."

"You didn't miss anything Mr. Wayne," Isabel said his name with sweet smile. "Mr. Fox wouldn't start the meeting without you."

Bruce gave Isabel a heart stopping smile, "well I guess that means I get to spend more time in your presence."

The bile rose in Felicity's throat at the way Bruce had Isabel eating out of his hands after a minute in her presence. She knew Isabel was a shark but she was a smart one, she wondered if she knew Bruce was playing her?

Bruce played with the proposal in front of him, he already knew the contents but found himself looking it over.

"Well, now that we're all present I believe we can begin." Opening the booklet Felicity provided, "Ms. Smoak, since you worked up this proposal I would like you to take the lead." He informed a surprised Felicity.

She knew she'd have to explain her ideas at some point but she assumed Mr. Fox would have explained everything first. "Um… okay," nerves on edge, she flipped her proposal open to the first page. She was thankful she went through the work of making them, otherwise, she would've forgotten half of it.

Taking a deep breath, she looked at Oliver's expecting smile and then over to Isabel's unimpressed expression. "So, on the first page of the booklet you'll see that Wayne Industries micro-tech department has been working on a microscopic GPS that I designed." She started, looking up briefly to see if she had everyone's attention. "Now I know that doesn't sound too exciting but we used our density modifier and were able to liquefy the tiny chip, we mixed the liquefied GPS with Lactated Ringers. Our chemist reviewed the substance and determined it could be injected into the blood stream and the GPS tech would still work."

Before she could continue Isabel decided it was time for an interruption. "Have you injected a monkey yet? Have you tested the solution on a living animal and were you able to track its moves? Also, how long does this last in the blood stream and is it toxic? I don't see any of those things listed in your little pamphlet here." She stated, as she flipped through the pages.

Felicity was overwhelmed by all of her questions; Isabel didn't give her a chance to answer one before going on her tirade. "We have two test subjects, human test subjects. I don't believe in animal testing and we decided that the only true way to see if there are any side effects is to test it on a person. Since the Micro Tech is liquefied and was made with that in mind, most of it was made of organic material which was coded to receive signals. There is a tiny chip, the size of a speck of dust that went into that material."

"Has here been any change in your test subjects?" Oliver asked, looking straight at her. He was impressed she came up with something so simple, yet so advanced. He knew that if this liquid GPS worked it would be ground breaking and high demand.

"Blood work was done the other day at the two week mark since the injection, the liquid was still active in the blood stream but the signal did begin weakening. So far there has been no side effect and blood work came back normal. The signal will become weaker as it circulates the blood stream breaking apart. We're also working on an ingestible one but that would only last about 30 hours in the human digestive track."

"If it's going through the blood stream what happened to it once the signal is dead? Do you spend the rest of your life with tiny tech running through your veins? What happens to people with clogged arteries? Will the tech get stuck?" Isabel asked, unimpressed with the meeting so far.

"Since the tech is made up of organic material and the tiny chip was already minuscule before liquefaction it will eventually evaporate into the blood. After a while it will disappear completely, which is why it was diluted with the lactated ringers." She defended, she knew this could really make a difference, especially for the military.

"It's really quite incredible," Lucius began, "think of the good something like this could do. How many times have members of our military been taken as POWs? This would give our country an advantage."

Isabel did not like where this was going, she had no interest in a joint venture with Wayne, she wanted Queen for herself, to run as she saw fit. "It seems that you don't need us then. I'm not sure of the purpose of this meeting. You already have your product which I am sure you're already enticing the government with. Having us here was unnecessary, perhaps a way for Ms. Smoak to show Mr. Queen what he lost." She stated, trying to undermine both Oliver and Felicity.

Bruce was tired of Isabel's disruptions- he knew she wouldn't stop unless told to. "Perhaps if you would stop interrupting Ms. Smoak, she'd get to the point that involves Mr. Queens Company," he reprimanded. Isabel look affronted when Bruce called the company Oliver's but decided it was best to keep silent.

Felicity just wanted this meeting to end. She grabbed her tablet and brought up a map of the United States. "So our two human test subjects are still active, they're the two green dots." Magnifying the map, "as you can see they're in Gotham… now on the left side of the screen are the exact coordinates, by clicking on them the map will show you exactly where in Gotham they are." She clicked on the coordinates on the screen and a live satellite feed came up of Wayne Enterprises. "So as you can see both test subjects are in the building. Now we have a small detector the size of an iphone that will signal as you get closer to your target, you have to be within a mile for it to work so that way if they're in a place as large as Wayne, you'll still be able to track them down." She grabbed the small devise out of her purse and showed the people at the table. The device was flashing an arrow towards her and Bruce. "As you can see Mr. Wayne and I are the test subjects. This is where Queen Consolidated comes into play. We created the solution but we don't have the tech to individualize the liquid, we need each vial to be traceable on its own. We need to be able to locate a specific being through a unique number identifier. Queen applied sciences has this tech available, this is where both companies would join forces." She finished saying, proud of herself for making it through the meeting without rambling or losing her cool. There was something about working at Wayne that made her feel valued and confident. People here didn't gossip about her, they went out of their way to talk to her about their ideas.

Oliver was in awe of her presentation, Bruce was right Queen needed this. This serum was genius and Queen just being slightly involved would surely get most of its investors to return. "I think this is an amazing idea, I'm in." He said, excited, not only for Queen but for the possibility of spending more time with Felicity.

"Well, don't be too hasty," Isabel said, cutting her eyes to Oliver. "You can't agree to this venture without my approval and I don't think it's a good idea. It's too risky and just because you two were naive enough to inject yourself with it, without further testing is not enough to get me to sign on. Honestly, I've heard many companies make great claims and not deliver and I think this is one of those times. So, I am sorry but we will not be signing on."

Oliver couldn't believe his ears, all the times Isabel has jumped down his throat for missing a meeting or not caring about Queen. "The company needs this, Isabel," he whispered, preparing himself for a fight.

"Stop," Bruce interceded before things escalated, "I can see you two haven't figured out how to work together yet. Lucius will you please explain to them that there is one more party to speak to before agreeing to anything."

Lucius folded his hands in front of him like a patient father talking to his children, "Unfortunately, Ms. Roschev, Oliver owns fifty percent of Queen. So half of the decision is his, now I know you control the other fifty percent but you do not own it, Stellmoor does. Now I know you're VP of acquisitions but the Company paid for thirty percent of your shares, therefore they own them. I know they sent you to run Queen as CEO, but when I spoke to Matthews, the CEO of Stellmoor, last week he agreed to this venture. This meeting was really meant to lock in Mr. Queen's vote and seeing as the majority rules, this venture will happen."

Isabel bristled at being pushed out, "This is the first I am hearing of this, so excuse me, I am going to call Matthews myself and confirm it for myself," she said standing to leave.

Bruce called out to her before she could exit. "Ms. Roschev, this project will make both companies millions. What do you think Stellmoor is planning on doing once the Queen stock skyrockets? I, myself, will probably buy a few shares when Stellmoor sells them. Good business, you know."

Isabel sent Bruce Wayne a withering glare, "I wouldn't be too hasty, Mr. Wayne, I'd hate to see you disappointed." Isabel strolled out of the room, not looking back at the people she left behind.

Oliver looked at the three people in front of him. "How did you know Stellmoor wanted to sell? I mean, I knew Isabel had a backer, she didn't have that much money lying around but I thought it was someone besides Stellmoor, since they already had forty five percent."

Felicity felt like she should have warned Oliver before the meeting but they still weren't on speaking terms. "Oliver, when I mentioned this project with Queen, I knew Isabel would be against it. It turns out that Lucius knows Matthews, and found out that they were Isabels only backers. She had a twenty percent stake in the company, when Queen stocks crashed Stellmoor, on her behest bought out two other investors, another twenty five percent."

"So when you came back from your five month break," Lucius began, with disapproval in his voice. "You and Isabel were equal partners, when the last ten percent became available you managed to get five and she convinced Stellmoor to buy the other five."

"If you're smart," Bruce began, "I'd start vying for that one percent. That's all you need, sell the rest, it's good for the Company to have diversity on its board. With fifty one percent you have the final say, you stay in control."

"Bruce is right, Oliver but if I were you I'd want a little more than fifty one percent. If ever you find yourself in a tight position you could sell a few shares and still remain in control."

"Wait," Felicity interjected, "what about Thea? Does she own half of your shares?" She asked, curious as to where Thea stood in the grand scheme of things.

"Well, my fifty percent is both mine and Theas. She, however, wants nothing to do with queen and we agreed that when QC was on its feet I'd slowly start buying her out."

His answer satisfied Felicity, "okay. Well that's good that she's not being forced to be involved in Queen. She has been doing a really good job of running Verdant."

Oliver forgot how well Thea and Felicity got along while they were together, he was glad to see that despite his mistakes, they were still close. It warmed him that Felicity was looking out for his sister's interest. Oliver's phone buzzed with a message from Diggle, Isabel was demanding to be driven back to Queen. "That's my driver, it seems wants to get back to Starling."

"To see Matthews in person, no doubt," Lucius estimated.

"Why don't you stay behind, let her sweat it," Bruce started, "join Felicity and me for lunch. I have a reservation for three but Lucius has meetings and can't make it."

"That is true, I should be heading to one shortly," he stood up, holding out his hand to Oliver. "A pleasure to see you again Mr. Queen, my assistant will be in touch once our people have a chance to get the paperwork together. Felicity, always a pleasure," he said warmly. "Bruce come by my office later there are a few documents that need your attention."

Felicity was surprised when she heard Bruce mention her, she was never informed of a lunch meeting. "I should probably get back to my department… there is still a glitch in our new program I'm working through." She hoped that would be excuse enough to get her out of an awkward lunch with Oliver and Bruce.

"You work too hard, Felicity," ignoring her excuses. "Well, Oliver, lunch with your new partner and ex IT expert?"

Oliver wanted to refuse the invitation, he wanted to keep an eye on Isabel but he didn't want to leave Felicity alone with Bruce Wayne. "Sure, just let me inform my driver," he said, texting Diggle to take Isabel back and to keep an eye on her.

Felicity couldn't believe she just got roped into lunch with her ex and her somewhat boss. She came to Wayne to get away from Oliver and so far she organized a partnership, in which she'd be seeing more of him than she wanted. She knew they needed Queen for this project to work , she just forgot how hard it was when he was around. "I'm going to run to my office to get my handbag. Where would you like me to meet you?" She asked, hoping they were going somewhere nearby.

"Meet us in the lobby, I'll call for a car," she nodded and walked out of the room.

\---

Lunch wasn't as bad as Felicity expected it to be. There was no discussion about her relationship with Oliver or her work at QC. Instead, they spent most of their time discussing why Isabel was so interested in Queen. Bruce mentioned that when he returned from his travels and his company was struggling; Isabel on behalf of Stellmoor, was the first one to come knocking. She didn't know, however, that Bruce's personal finances were enough to buy him controlling interest. Once she found out that she'd have no real power at Wayne, she quickly sold her shares.

"It's her business, buying a large failing company, gut it, divide it, and sell it off in bits. She's made quite the fortune doing that." Bruce informed them.

"That's not what she's doing with Queen though," Felicity began, "the way she runs thing is as if she wants to keep Queen intact. Almost, as if she wanted it for herself like she was entitled to it."

Oliver spent so much time fighting with Isabel that he never really had time to dissect her motives. "Felicity's right, she makes sure Queen in on the up, but whenever we get an opportunity to really make some money she claims it's too risky."

"My suggestion, start planning, once those shares become available you need to be ready – Isabel, I guarantee will have new backing. Once she owns those shares if her reasons for wanting Queen are personal she'll never sell, you'll be stuck with her."

As much as it pained Oliver to admit it, he knew Bruce was right. He allowed himself to get so consumed in Arrow business that he allowed his family's legacy to suffer. With Felicity gone everything was more complicated, professionally and personally. "Right now besides my mother's trial, Queen is my number one priority."

"How is that progressing?" Bruce asked, "I heard there were issues with the D.A's office."

"I don't really know the lawyer seems noncommittal about the possible outcome. All I can do is hope for the best."

"Well, I'm not losing hope. I think it'll work out, the jury will see that Mrs. Queen acted in fear for her life and her family's." Felicity added, wanting to show some support for Oliver's mother. She wasn't going to make it to the trial given her new job, but she was going to accompany Thea the day before to drop off some clothing for her mother. She at least wanted to let Mrs. Queen know that she still believed in her, even if she and Oliver were over.

Felicity was quite the optimist, Bruce thought. He knew that though she seemed sweet and awkward, she was not a floor mat and wouldn't allow to be treated as such. He wondered what transpired between her and Oliver that resulted in the termination of their relationship. The admiring look on Oliver's face while Felicity was explaining her project earlier and the longing looks during the silent ride in the car were enough to make him sick. He liked Oliver to a certain extent, he could relate to him in many ways. He could understand why losing Felicity was so hard on him, she was unique. Felicity was a rare woman, though she seemed like a simple young woman following a promising career dominated by men. She was someone who carried as many secrets and he and Oliver, most of which were not her own. When the D.A's office connection with one of the jurors came to light, it was all over the news. The D.A was crucified in the media, stating that if the judge had not received the information the trial would have been completely compromised. He was pretty sure he knew who the anonymous source was. It was a good thing to know that she wasn't opposed to breaking a few laws for the greater good.

"I'm curious about something, Felicity. What are your views on the vigilantes? It's funny you go from working in one city that boast a guy dressed like Robin Hood running around hunting criminals, to Gotham, where you have a grown man who dresses as a bat. What do you think… are they friend or foe?" He asked, ignoring the glare Oliver was throwing his way.

Felicity didn't understand how they went from talking about the Queen trial to the vigilantes, she wasn't sure what she should say. "Um… well, they don't seem to hurt innocent people and it seems they're trying to make the city safer. So, I don't know, they don't bother me, I mean… for all I know they're just two guys who enjoy dressing up in tight outfits." She said, biting on her bottom lip to keep some giggling. Oliver needed to work on his poker face, he looked pretty annoyed at her last comment.

Bruce didn't take offense at all, in fact, he laughed at her last comment. "How do you know their attire is tight?" he asked, "I've never seen them in person but it's a little hard to tell from the few photos."

"You forget that I'm a computer whiz. Plus, I may have enhanced a couple of the photos to get a better look," she added with a slight blush on her face.

"You did," Oliver asked with surprise in his voice. He could tell that Felicity was being honest, why would she want to look at an enhanced photo of Batman? Was she looking to help another vigilante, did she miss the work she did with him and Diggle. He couldn't help but wonder if she'd jump at the chance at helping Bruce if she found out he was the man in suit, he so loved to bring up in conversation. He had a feeling Bruce was feeling her out for that purpose but he couldn't have her. She already worked for his company that would have to be enough for him. He still had every intention of winning Felicity back, even if it meant she never came back to Queen or to help the Arrow. None of that mattered he just needed her in his life - he needed to be able to love her. If she wanted to continue at Wayne he wouldn't make an issue of it, he wanted her to be happy but he wanted her with him.

"I was bored and I wanted to see if there was a clear face shot. What can I say I was curious but I'm over it," she said, with finality. She hoped the conversation would change she had no interest in talking about either of the vigilantes.

The rest of lunch passed by quickly and before she knew it they were headed back to Wayne. Bruce excused himself to leave, luckily Diggle was already there waiting for Oliver. Happy to see him she ran up to him and gave him a hug, they'd been keeping in touch but the last couple weeks were hectic; after a brief conversation Oliver and Diggle left, leaving her to get back to her office.

\---

Reckoning day for Mrs. Queen quickly approach and everyone was on edge. It was the day before her trail began and Felicity found herself in the Iron Heights parking lot waiting on Thea. She knew she no longer belonged at the court house next to the Queen family but she made Thea a promise, and she wanted Mrs. Queen to know that she was still on her side. She turned off the engine when she saw a town car pull up in front of the entrance, she could see Thea looking around nervously. She understood her hesitance to go in alone; it was the last time she would see her mother before her fate would be decided by twelve strangers. She quickened her step and smiled when Thea spotted her. She wasn't lying about bringing her mother clothing to choose from, the girl was holding two garment bags that seemed to hold several outfits.

"I'm so glad you're here…" Thea started, looking slightly guilty, "I thought you might back out on today. Not that I'd blame you but it's really good to have someone with me."

Felicity gave Thea what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I know things have been weird since Oliver and I ended things but we're still friends… no matter what."

"I know, I just got a little nervous," she transferred the garment bags to her other arm. "Oliver is going to come see her later, he wanted me to have some alone time with her. I didn't tell him you'd be here because I didn't want him to crash and make thing uncomfortable."

"Thanks, I appreciate that... things are still a little weird. Anyway, we should head inside, you should be concentrating fully on your mom." She said taking one of the bags from her.

Seeing Moira Queen in a jumpsuit was something Felicity would never get used to and she hoped for Thea and Oliver's sake she wouldn't have to. She wondered how the matriarch would treat her now that she was no longer dating her son. Would she blame her for Oliver's unhappiness? This was the train of thought that made her uneasy. Mrs. Queen may be incarcerated but she was still an intimidating woman. Fortunately, Thea's mother was happy to see her, going so far as to applaud her for not turning the other cheek. Oliver had come clean to his mother and sought his advice, Moira told her. Felicity wasn't sure how to take that piece of information. From what she could tell Moira and Thea were both hoping she'd forgive Oliver and take him back. They may have not said so in so many words but she could catch the subtle hints. Luckily, the conversation about Oliver was brief and not brought up again. Moira spent most of her time talking about the trial and trying to mentally prepare Thea for the worst.

"What are Jean's predictions," Thea asked her mom, wringing her hands under the table.

The look on Moira's face was not comforting to Felicity – she wondered if she had done enough to help her case. "I don't want you to worry, Thea… but Jean doesn't know how anything will go until we begin the trial. But… you need to be ready, things may not go as planned, I may be serving a lot of time and I need you to not worry about me, sweetheart."

Felicity felt like she was intruding on a private moment between mother and daughter. Standing up, she excused herself with the excuse of grabbing a coffee from the machine outside the room. She thought about the e-mails she had destroyed and replaced with non-incriminating ones. Oliver and Thea had no idea that she changed out the e-mails, they had no idea the in-sight she had into their mother's life. There were things there that Oliver and Thea had a right to know but she knew it would never be her place to tell them. After all of the lies and hurt that the Queen family went through and was still experiencing, there was still a glimmer of hope for them. Moira Queen must know the D.A would delve into her personal e-mails, phone calls, and text messages and they did. They took their search back years and while Malcom was careful and most of his e-mails were encrypted, the technology nineteen years ago was not what it is now.

Though it probably would've taken the computer forensic scientist a few days to break through the encryption, due to the legal programs they had to use – it took her a couple hours. She would have just deleted them completely but the D.A's office had already encountered them. So she did the only thing she could do, she removed all evidence of the affair. Replacing the somewhat poetic words Malcolm would send Moira with idle business concerns he had with her husband, along with some underlying threats. She knew what she wrote as Malcolm Merlyn was not enough to justify encryption, but she hoped she painted him as an obsessive and paranoid.

She would come clean to Mrs. Queen, she promised herself, if she was acquitted. She wanted Oliver and Thea to have a real second chance at being a family, and they would only achieve that with honesty. She tried to ignore the small voice in her head that said it would also assuage her guilt at keeping such a large secret – that she shouldn't have been entitled to- from Thea and Oliver. Finishing off her coffee, she threw it away and made her way back inside to Thea and her mom.

"Everything okay, Dear?" Moira asked, noticing the faraway look on Felicity's face.

"Yeah, I- I just wanted to give you two some alone time," she said.

"Well, thank you," Moira began, "but don't feel like you're intruding because I am very thankful you came."

"So am I," Thea said, "Felicity has been really great, even if Ollie has been a prick."

"Thea!" Both Felicity and Moira scolded in unison. Cutting the slight tension that was present when she came back from her coffee break. The guard called out a five minute warning and Thea got up to embrace her mom, telling her that she like the blue suit best. Moira agreed to wear it and pulled Felicity into a hug too. "Thank you both for coming," she said before walking towards the guard and handing him the wardrobe she had chosen.

Thea broke down when her mother walked through the door, a feeling of dread overcoming her. Felicity held her and she cried a few tears escaping her own eyes. All she could do was hope the little she had done would be enough.

\---

The State vs. Queen Trial took over every news outlet. Some of the headlines were absolutely horrible not only depicting Moira Queen as a mass murderer but her children culpable as well. The general consensus was that she would be found guilty, at least that's what it looked like after the first day of cross examination.

It took three days for the e-mails to come up in court, and it was Moira's lawyer who did so. It seemed that the Adam Donner decided not to include the e-mails as evidence as he originally planned. When Jean Loring realized this, she requested a copy of the e-mails herself and realized that they could help her case. She put Moira on the stand and had her read the twenty plus e-mails verbatim. Newscasters reported on the emotion on the accused face while reading as regretful, her voice cracking at times but Felicity knew that what they saw as regret was surprise. She didn't think Mrs. Queen would ever see her falsified e-mails and now that she had, she was concerned. Oliver's mother knew she was more than proficient with a computer. She was the youngest IT expert at QC when she was hired, something that was not unnoticed by Mrs. Queen. She wondered if she would put two and two together. She made sure Thea didn't say a thing about her hacking the D.A to her mother, telling the girl if it came up in court her mother wouldn't have to lie.

The fifth day of trail the jury went into deliberation. Felicity had chewed through three pens caps and altered between working and sending Thea and at times Oliver reassuring text messages. Oliver would only reply with a simple thank you, but Theas messages ranged from worried to outrage. The worry was for her mother and the outrage was over the fact that Laurel had shown up to the trials, even though Oliver had ended things with her. According to Thea the worst part was that she had seated herself on the prosecutions side. She could understand Thea's anger but she also understood that Laurel couldn't sit with the Queen family if she wanted to. She was still employed by the office.

After four hours of deliberation the jury returned with a not guilty sentence. Felicity felt a great weight lifted off her shoulders, knowing that Moira Queen would be going home with her family. She received a final message from Thea that evening, thanking her for her support and with promises to call her in the morning. She didn't receive any messages from Oliver after the verdict and she didn't text him. She assumed that both Queen children needed this time alone with their mother.

Deciding that she deserved some unwinding from the anxiety of the last week, she shut down her computer and left for home early. She would open a bottle of wine, catch up on some tv, and take a bath. She looked forward to sleeping in on Saturday morning before running errands. Her weekend was shaping up nicely in her head, as she walked to her car. She noticed that she couldn't get into her car through the driver's side since some jerk parked so close to her she couldn't get the door open. She walked to the passenger side of her car, planning on climbing over the center console, when she noticed someone behind her in the reflection of the window. Before she could turn around an electric volt went through her and she passed out.

\---

Bruce Wayne watched the media coverage on Moira Queens case, he wasn't surprised that she was acquitted. The news was good, it would only help things along with the Wayne and Queen partnership. It would have been bad business if Oliver's mother was found guilty of the charges against her. All-in-all, it was a good day for Queen Consolidated and Wayne Enterprises. He raised his drink, in mock salute to the television. "I think you need to find yourself a woman ," Alfred said from the doorway, shaking his head at Bruce.

"I think you're right Alfred. I wonder if I still have Brooklyn Deckers phone number, I never did call her after our date."

"I doubt she'll be happy to hear from you then," Alfred said, leaving him alone.

Bruce chuckled at Alfred's disappointment, he knew that he held out hope that he'd find Mrs. Right and fill the house with children. Unfortunately, he had no interest in kids, he was already married to his work, he couldn't afford being distracted by a woman he could love.

The ringing of his phone pulled him from his musings. He almost didn't answer it, as he usually didn't with blocked numbers but did on the off chance it was Oliver, needing help with something.

"Bruce Wayne," he answered, there was nothing but silence, "speak or I am hanging up."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, ," the digitally altered voice said. He stood up knowing this wasn't just a prank.

"I'm guessing I won't get an answer if I ask who this is," he said, coolly, not wanting them to think he was intimidated.

"You don't need to know who I am, just what I want." The voice began, "I have a pretty little blonde with me, she's quite terrified."

Bruce's stomach plummeted, but he managed to keep calm. "I know many blondes, care to narrow it down for me," needing confirmation.

"Yes… well, her name is Felicity Smoak. Smart girl, from what I gather she is the genius behind the partnership between Wayne and Queen that was announced the other day. Perhaps, you shouldn't have credited her for your project. It was your company, after all, that made her my target."

"What do you want? She is just an employee who does as instructed, it seems you have taken the wrong person." Hoping the person on the other end would buy his bluff.

"I suppose it doesn't matter, she will still die if you don't put a stop to your partnership. You must understand, I am just trying to help people by not allowing corporations such as yours and Queen to gain more power. You have until Monday, kill the merger or kill the girl. Goodbye, Mr. Wayne." The line cut out and Bruce felt anger overwhelm him. He would have to go down to the cave, his computer automatically traced every call to his home and personal cell phone. If her were lucky he'd have a location.

\---

Oliver couldn't believe his mom was free, when the jury came back with the verdict he braced himself expecting some sort of punishment. He knew she wouldn't get life after she read the e-mails between her and Malcom spanning years. He could see the jury soften towards her in understanding, but he still assumed she'd have to do some time. But he wasn't complaining, he had his family back and he was going to cherish every second of it.

Raisa had prepared a special dinner for his mother, they were just waiting on her to come downstairs. She wanted to take a long bath when she got home saying she needed to wash the prison off her. His cell phone started ringing and he hoped it wasn't Diggle needing the Arrow tonight. Sarah and Diggle were on patrol so he could spend time with his mother.

When he saw Bruce Waynes name on his screen he assumed he was calling to congratulate him.

"Hello," he answered, hoping the man would make this short and sweet."

"Oliver, we have a problem. Can you talk freely?" Oliver walked to his father's old office to make sure he wouldn't be overheard.

"I'm alone, what's going on? My mom was just acquitted and I'm expected to celebrate with her and my sister."

"Someone kidnapped Felicity, they called me, they want me to drop our merger or they'll kill her. Now, I called my connection at the police department and gave a statement, I suggest you do the same."

The world stopped for Oliver. Someone took Felicity, she was in danger because of him. "Did you speak to her, did you get proof of life?" He asked, not caring that he was yelling into his phone or that his sister and mother ran into the office.

"No, but we have to assume she's alive. I got a hit on their location but I was only able to narrow it down to a three mile radius. We need to work together on this, do you understand what I am saying?"

"I do, I'm going to call someone I know on the Starling police force. I will call you back with a location to meet." He said, hanging up and facing his family.

"Ollie, what's going on? Why were you yelling about proof of life?" Thea asked, the worry evident in her voice.

"Someone kidnapped Felicity. They called Bruce Wayne and told him to call off the merger or they'll kill her." He drew his attention to his mother, "I'm sorry… I –"

"Go. Go to the police and keep your phone near in case they call you. We'll be here if you need anything," Moira said, embracing Oliver and hoping Felicity would be okay.

Oliver pulled away from his mother and embraced his sister who was distraught at the news. "I'll keep you updated," he promised, before running out.


	4. Chapter 4

Oliver watched Diggle pace as they waited on word from Bruce. Before leaving his house Oliver called Diggle to meet at Verdant, and informed Lance on what was happening. Lance was expectedly upset hearing about Felicity being kidnapped, he agreed to do whatever he could to help. It was only when he arrived at the Foundry where Diggle was anxiously waiting for him, that he realized Lance's idea of helping was to contact the Arrow. The phone he used to communicate with Lance as the vigilante had several missed calls from him, and Oliver felt he had no choice but to talk to him.

"It's about time you call," Lance reprimanded when he answered his phone.

"I am not always available to answer my phone, Detective," Oliver started, "how can I help you?"

"Your friend Felicity, she's been taken… the kidnappers called Bruce Wayne for Ransom." Lance said, repeating what Oliver had told him.

"I am already working on getting her back, right now, nothing is more important."

"Well, see that you do. S-she's a good girl, she doesn't deserve any of this… so find her." He paused, his voice lowering to a whisper, "I'm sure the girl in the tower will help you, tell her. Right now you need to help each other, and uh- let me know if I can do anything" Oliver knew he should inform Sarah on what was happening but he couldn't make any moves until he dealt with Bruce.

"I will find her, I guarantee that." He said, hanging up the phone before he had a chance to get too emotional with Lance. He looked up at Diggle who had been terrifyingly silent the entire time.

"How much longer," Diggle asked, pausing in his stride and crossing his arms. He didn't like the idea of involving Bruce Wayne but he had to trust Oliver.

Oliver knew that Diggle was suspicious of Bruce, "he said he was on his way, he said he'd call when he got here." When he called Bruce after speaking to Lance as Oliver Queen, he suggested meeting him in Gotham, since that's where Felicity was last seen. Bruce, however, was adamant on meeting him in Starling stating it would be odd for the vigilante or Oliver to be seen in Gotham, but it would make sense for Bruce to be in Starling; seeing as it's where Felicity lives. He said if his appearance in the city was brought up later that he'd say he was giving a statement to the SPD.

"I still don't understand why he needed to come here. Why couldn't we meet somewhere in the middle off the highway… or I don't know… somewhere that couldn't tie you to this." He said, gesturing the room around them.

Diggle had a point but he couldn't worry about anything but Felicity right now. "I don't like this any more than you do but he went to Wayne to grab Felicity's computer. He has a way of tracking her down, right now that's all that matters. Besides, I'm sure our computer programs are better than anything he'd have. All of our programs were created by Felicity, if anyone is going to find her it'd be us."

"I tried those already, Oliver and got nothing. Her phone shows up at Gotham P.D, the tracker on her watch is still located at Wayne. You already said that the camera feed from the Wayne parking lot was compromised. What more could this guy do for us? Right now you need to be the hood, you need to be the man you were before the Glades destruction and your first target is Isabel."

"You don't think I haven't thought of that? Isabel has the motive for killing this merger and I will be paying her a visit but right now, Bruce has a way of tracking Felicity and finding her is first on my list."

Oliver's phone rang, breaking the tension in the room. "Walk down the alley, there's a side door partially concealed by a dumpster. Once you're there I'll buzz you in," Oliver said.

Diggle shook his head as he heard Oliver give the man directions, "you're going to let him inside here? Are you nuts Oliver? Why don't we just send everyone an e-mail outing you as the vigilante."

"He's not going to say anything, Diggle," he assured while looking at the video feed from the alley.

"Let me guess… you've made the same calculation with him as you did with me and Felicity."

"No," he said, looking up from the screen. "I know his secret, he won't be outing the Arrow, and if he does then he'll be ousted as the Batman."

"Bruce Wayne is Batman?" Diggle asked, stunned. At Oliver's affirmative nod, "what is it with you rich guys?"

Before Oliver could muster up an answer he noticed Bruce on his screen. "He's here," he told Diggle, while buzzing Bruce in.

"So this is headquarters," Bruce said, as he descended the stairs. Walking into the room and placing the laptop on the steel-top table.

Diggle didn't care for having someone new in their space; even if this man was Batman. "Oliver said you have a way to track Felicity, since she was a test subject for her project."

Bruce got right to business, he could sense hostility. "I do, the GPS signal should still be active," he answered, "but it's been almost four weeks since the injection, so I don't know how much longer it will last." He directed his attention to Diggle, "I'm Bruce," he said, holding out his hand.

Reluctantly shaking his hand, "John Diggle," he said.

Oliver tried to remember all the information from the meeting but he couldn't recall if Felicity stated how long the signal would work before disappearing. He walked over to Bruce, who was seated in front of the laptop and stood behind him.

Diggle joined them at the table, "how long is this going to take?"

"Just a few minutes, the program is locating the signals now," Bruce said, watching the screen, waiting for confirmation that the GPS was still active. He let out a breath of air when the two flickering green dots appeared on screen."

"It's still working," Oliver said, slightly surprised. A part of him was prepared for the signal to be dead, making his search harder.

"Is that flickering normal," Diggle asked, "and that one, I swear it just moved." He said pointing at one of the dots on the screen.

"It's flickering because the signal is weak, and that dot just did move. The coordinates just changed for it, that's Felicity," Bruce responded.

"Zoom into the camera feed like she did at the meeting. If they're in a car we'll be able to track them on the traffic cams." Oliver ordered.

Bruce ignored the command but did as asked, but the screen was just dark except for a small flicker of light. "She's not in a car," he said.

"She's flying," Oliver stated, "she's on a plane."

"Wait," Diggle started, "if this is about stopping the merger between you guys, why fly her away? Wouldn't it be easier to keep her here and make sure you comply?"

Oliver wasn't feeling very confident, "if this is Isabel's doing, it would make sense for her to take her away. What's to stop us from continuing with the merger after she's been released?"

"What's to stop us from merging if she's killed?" Bruce asked, "It doesn't add up. They could have injured her – it would have sent a message, the threat of her life being in danger would be enough to stop the merger from happening. It's easier than taking her hostage."

"But if they keep her," Diggle started, "then they can hold her over both your heads."

Oliver was slowly getting himself worked up into a rage. "Bruce, when they called you did they say they would contact you again?"

"No. All he said was stop the merger by Monday or she was dead. There was no way he knew she was injected with the GPS."

Oliver walked over to grab his bow, "Dig, I think it's time we pay Isabel a visit. Bruce, I'll let you know if I learn anything from her."

"As much as I despise Isabel, the fact that they contacted me and not you is telling. If this were simply a ploy to control Queen, don't you think they would have contacted you? There is something here that isn't adding up for me. Plus, Isabel knew that Felicity was a test subject." Bruce said, trying to help Oliver rationalize. If Isabel was innocent they'd be wasting precious time.

"I know, but we don't have time for theory, right now Isabel is the most likely suspect. She might not respect me but we'll see how well she does when she has an arrow at her head."

Bruce knew nothing he'd say would change Oliver's mind. "Keep the laptop, I have a copy of the program now. I'll track it from my home," he said before turning around to leave. He did have the program on his computer, he'd track Felicity himself. That way when Oliver came out empty handed one of them would still be able to locate her.

"I don't like him," Diggle said.

"Most of the times neither do I."

\---

When Felicity came to, everything was dim and blurred. She realized her hands were tied to a chair when she tried to move them to rub her eyes. Her glasses were missing they must have fallen off when she was tasered. She wasn't sure how long she'd been out but remembered briefly waking and a man injecting her with something. By the pounding of her head and the crick of her neck it was safe to say she was sedated. She squinted her eyes trying to make out the room she was in. The noise around her and the pressure she felt in her ears were very telling. The seat she was strapped to was cushioned and there was a pillow supporting her head. She was on a plane, and from the little she could make out she was seated towards the back. It was a private plane, she could tell by the size and layout, it reminded her of the Queen Jet. She was able to make out a few figures at the front of the plane but without her glasses she couldn't make out details. She snapped her eyes shut when she saw one of those figures get up and move towards her. Hopefully, they'd walk right by her and assume she was still knocked out. Her eyes flew open when she felt the pressure on her wrist disappear; a pretty brunette woman around her age gave her a warm smile.

"I noticed you woke up, I'm assuming you probably need to use the facilities and you must be hungry."

She looked familiar but Felicity couldn't place where she'd seen her before. Rubbing the feeling back into her wrist, she wondered how she should go about this. The woman didn't seem very threatening but after meeting Sarah she knew looks could be deceiving. "Um… yeah, the restroom would be nice," she uttered, not knowing what else to say.

The woman smiled at her, "follow me."

Felicity did as instructed, her muscles protesting. The woman pointed to the bathroom door and leaned against the wall; apparently she wouldn't be left alone.

Splashing some cold water on her face hoping it would help the grogginess go away, she wondered how she'd get out of this situation. She walked out of the bathroom and followed the woman back to her seat. She expected to be strapped down again, instead she was surprised when her captor took the seat across her. Shortly after a man came by, unfolded a table from the wall and set down a tray of food.

She looked down at the muffins and fruit, hesitant to eat anything.

"Don't worry," the woman said, "there are no nuts."

Felicity wasn't even thinking of her allergy but now that it was mentioned she couldn't help but wonder. "How do you know I'm allergic to nuts?''

"I know a lot of things about you, in fact I know things you don't." She said, helping herself to some of the fruit.

Felicity couldn't help but think this was an odd kidnapping. "Who are you… what do you want from me?"

The brunette took a moment to answer her, as if she were searching for the best reply. "Would you believe me if I told you I just wanted to keep you safe?''

Felicity fought the urge to yell how crazy she was. "No, because tasing, drugging, and kidnapping me is not my idea of safe."

The woman had the nerve to look contrite for a moment. "It was the only way. See, I know enough about you to know that you're stubborn and obstinate. I did what I had to and while it may have been unpleasant it was necessary."

"What exactly are you keeping me safe from?" She asked, grabbing some fruit. She assumed if it was safe enough for the woman to eat than she'd be okay. She needed something in her system.

"Starling City is a dangerous place. When the Glades were destroyed it attracted every low-life looking for power and if that wasn't enough, your connection to the vigilante just made you more of a target."

Felicity tried to hide her surprise that these people connected her to the Arrow. So many questions were running through her mind, these people obviously did their homework. "Why do you even care? Why does it matter whether or not if I'm safe? I don't know you… have you been stalking me? How do you know I'm connected to the Arrow?"

"Is that what you're calling him now?" She asked, scoffing at the nickname. "He's a poorly trained assassin, nothing more than that."

Felicity bristled at that description, to her Oliver would always be a hero. "You don't know what you're talking about.''

"But I do. You manage to part from one dangerous man whose life is filled with secrets, only to fall into the trap of another. Oliver Queen and Bruce Wayne are both men that could get you killed." She said with certainty.

Could this woman really know that Oliver was the vigilante and what did Bruce have to do with it? "Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen are rich playboys, I think they're hardly dangerous."

"How many rich playboys run around in a hood shooting arrows into people? How many dress up as a bat? I know all about them Felicity, so stop protecting them."

"B-Bruce Wayne is batman?" she asked, not believing it.

"Ah… so you didn't know about Bruce. Well, I'm sure he would have let you in on his secret eventually, seeing as he was grooming you to join his team."

"Grooming me? I've see that man a handful of times." She said incredulously, the only time Bruce showed any interest in her was when he was either checking her out or when he was talking about the money she was going to make him.

"Perhaps, but how many times have you seen Lucius Fox? Bruce much like Oliver has a team and I'm positive that he was looking to add you into the fray."

Not wanting the conversation to turn to Oliver and his nighttime activities, she tried changing the subject. "You still haven't told me why it matters. Why do you care what happens to me?"

"You're important Felicity, you have skills that can't be taught. We can't afford anything happening to you. Apart from those skills you're important to me," she said sincerely.

Her declaration made a shiver run down her spine, "Who are you?" She asked hoping that this woman wasn't in love with her, just the thought was preposterous.

"You can call me Lysa," she started. "Now that introductions are out of the way I'm curious about something… why do you dye your hair?"

The question took her by surprise, not only because she kept that fact to herself, but she didn't understand why it would matter. "Excuse me? You kidnap me, throw me on a plane, claim it's for my own good and you want to know why I dye my hair?''

"Curiosity. We have a few hours to kill may as well get to know each other since we'll be spending plenty of time together." Lysa said, while nibbling on her fruit.

"You know people are going to be looking for me," she assured.

Leaning forward in her seat and giving Felicity and amused smile. "Oh, they already are. I made sure of that, nothing like a little false information to lead them in the wrong direction."

"What did you do?"

"Oh, nothing much, just had one of my men give Bruce Wayne a call and told him to kill the merger or you die. Don't worry, I don't care about that stupid merger but I know Isabel Roschev does. When I heard she was searching for a way to stop it that was my opportunity to take you and set her up." She said with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

This was not what Felicity wanted to hear, "Oliver will find me, he's not stupid it won't take him long to figure it out."

"By the time he realizes that Isabel is clean we'll be touching down in another country. Even if he were to track us down, by the time he made it you, you won't want to leave."

"Oh my god… you're really crazy aren't you," She muttered, instantly regretting her words. She should know better than to anger her abductors.

Lysa just smiled at her, " You'll understand soon, Felicity. I know you're confused but eventually you'll think of me as family."

All Felicity could do was hope that the GPS tracking she was injected with would be strong enough for Oliver to find her. It was obvious to her that Lysa was not mentally stable.

\---

Getting into Isabel's penthouse was easy. She obviously felt safe leaving her balcony doors unlocked since she was on the twentieth floor. Most of the house was dark and quiet but he could hear the television. He followed the sound and stopped right outside what seemed to be an office. Isabel was seated on a chair her back facing him. He nocked hi arrow and slowly made his way into the room.

"Isabel Roschev,"he said, startling her out of her seat and aiming his arrow straight at her heart.

Isabel was not one to be intimated easily but having the vigilante pointing his arrow at her did make her nervous. "What do you want?"

"Felicity Smaok was kidnapped today, they contacted Bruce Wayne – said if he didn't kill the merger she'd die. According to my intel you're the only on with motive. So I will ask you once, I suggest you really consider your answer. "Where is Felicity Smoak?"

Isabel took her time answering, she tried to get a better look at the vigilante but he was shrouded in the darkness. "There was a man… I don't know if he took her and I had nothing to do with her disappearance. I was searching for investors… I need more financial backing to keep my place at Queen. An acquaintance connected me to a man, his name is David Cain. He agreed to be a financial backer but he wanted information. He wanted to know about the project Wayne was working on, he was especially interested in Felicity since she was its creator. The man was curious about many things but I didn't think anything of it. What investor wouldn't want information on his venture? I don't know if he's responsible, I don't think he is. That's the only information I have, I may be relentless when it comes to my work but I am still a human being. I would not hurt Felicity for the sake of Queen, I am not a monster."

Oliver believed her, as much as he hoped it'd be her - Bruce was right, this was a dead-end. "Turn around and close your eyes," he said.

"If you're going to shoot me then have the balls to face me."

"I am not going to shoot you, don't make me change my mind. Now, I'll ask again, turn around and close your eyes."

Isabel did as instructed, when nothing happened after a couple of seconds she turned around. He was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Bruce had Felicity's software running in the background recording her movements. He hated waiting around to take action but he knew he couldn't do anything without Oliver. Instead, he cleaned his weapons in an attempt to stay busy, but his mind kept returning to the circumstances surrounding the kidnapping. He received the ransom call around five, he mused, but the security footage inside Wayne showed Felicity leaving at three. According to her coordinates she had been flying for at least four hours. So either the man called him right as he was boarding the plane or he was working with someone else. The route they were taking seemed to head towards Europe. He knew he could leave at any moment, he already made sure the jet was ready but he wouldn't. Felicity was his employee, one that he hoped would be quite useful for him, but she didn't know that, she was still just an employee. To Oliver, she was everything, he couldn't just leave him behind, and he knew what it felt like to lose the one you loved.

Earlier he tried tracking down the flight plan, to see who the aircraft belonged to, but there was no information or flight plan. Air traffic control had no records of it; neither did the Gotham or Starling airport, he even checked the smaller airports that had FBO's. Whoever took her either had a great deal of power or was savvy enough to erase all existence of this flight. It made the most sense to wait until the flight landed, so he knew exactly where to go but it wasn't a luxury he had. Every hour that passed the possibility of the signal fading grew greater.

As it was, he was waiting to hear back from Oliver though he doubted Isabel would know anything useful, but he understood the need to question her. Oliver, he assumed, wouldn't want him coming along on this trip to get Felicity, but he had the hand tracker, so Oliver wouldn't be able to deny him. While he understood the need to work alone, as having a partner is always a liability, this was different. Neither of them knew what would be waiting for them when they arrived to wherever Felicity was going to be held. They didn't have the comforts of familiarity like they did with Gotham and Starling.

The sound of his phone buzzing pulled Bruce from his contemplation. He picked up as soon as he saw it was Oliver calling, he wasn't expecting him to be in contact so soon.

"Should I be concerned that you're calling me so quickly?" He asked, not wasting anytime with a gretting.

Oliver's sigh was full of foreboding, "I don't know. She says she had nothing to do with Felicity's abduction, she was insistent on that fact, even with an arrow aimed at her."

"Okay… so Isabel didn't pan out, we're going at this blind." Bruce muttered, meaning the last part mostly for himself.

"Not quite," Oliver started, "she mentioned a business man who was willing to be her financial backer… She said he asked a lot of questions about the company ventures, but many of them centered on Felicity. Diggle and I have been trying to find something on him… but he's a ghost."

Bruce wasn't convinced this was a real lead; it was common for investors to have questions about rising stars within a company. "Are you going to give me a name? You know, I have my own programs I can check…"

"David Cain. Good-luck, I ran it through every program we have – all of which were designed by Felicity. I think we need to go ahead and follow -" Bruce interrupted Oliver before her could finish.

"Did you say David Cain?" Bruce asked, hoping he heard wrong. He knew that name and it did not bode well for them or Felicity.

"Yes. David Cain. Why? Did you get something?" There was a slight hysterical edge to Oliver's voice. Bruce knew the moment he explained to him what he knew it would make things worse.

"No, I didn't get anything but I know him." He started, "Oliver, this isn't good."

"Damn it Wayne, spit it out already! Who the hell is this guy?"

"He's an assassin for the League of Assassins. He's Ra's al Ghul favorite soldier, if he took Felicity… then he took her on his order. I just don't understand," he began to say, slowly becoming more frustrated, "what the League would want with Felicity, someone like her wouldn't even be in their sights." Unless, he thought, it was Ra's way to get back at him. He really hoped that Felicity was no in danger due to his connection with the League.

Oliver muttered a curse, "I know why they took her. Get your shit ready, we're going to go get her back."

"Wait just a second," he rushed out, not wanting Oliver to end the call without an explanation. I think you need to explain to me why the League would take Felicity. I need to know what's going on, it's the only way we'll be able to work together to get her back. Full disclosure."

"I'm breaking someone's trust by telling you this but nothing is more important than getting Felicity back. A friend of mine, someone I thought was dead, was rescued and trained by the League. She escaped and has been hiding from them, they sent people a few times to Starling in attempt to collect her but they were unsuccessful. She's been in hiding, and the only person she communicates with is me or Felicity. She would give Felicity messages for her father; she was a go between for the two."

Bruce let out an exasperated breath, "I'm going to guess that you tried explaining to her that it was a bad fucking idea to get involved in any way?"

"Felicity has always been the type of woman who makes her own decisions," Oliver informed him, "so she did what she felt was right, regardless of the risk."

"I suppose that's one of the things that make her so interesting."

"I am going to get her back, are you coming?" Oliver asked him.

"Meet me at the Gotham air strip bring your gear and the girl. If she was trained by the League she could be a big help."

"It's easier to take the Queen Jet," Oliver countered.

"Yes, it is. It also raises more questions. Do you really want Isabel looking into your affairs?"

"Fine. Gotham airstrip in two hours, don't be late." With those final words Oliver hung up.

Bruce looked around his cave, cataloging what he would take with him. Unfortunately, there was only so much he could carry with him, he needed to choose wisely. The Batman could not be seen outside of the States, it'd be too easy to put two and two together. He'd have to face the League as Bruce Wayne.

\---

Oliver hung up the phone and looked up at Diggle, who hadn't stopped pacing since Felicity disappeared. "Visiting Isabel proved to be beneficial," he said.

"Yeah, care to explain? I only heard one side of the conversation but from what I gathered, I don't like it."

"The League has her. I am going to meet Bruce in Gotham, we're going to go get her but I need to take Sara with us. We need to contact her." He said, walking away from Diggle and picking up the duffle bag he kept his extra set of cloths in.

It took a moment for Oliver's words to process, but when Diggle saw him packing his quiver he snapped out of it. "Hold on just a second. You're going with Bruce Wayne and Sara, where do I fit into this equation?"

"Dig, the League is dangerous," he started, without bothering to look at Diggle. "Sara was trained by them. Also, she'll know how to track them. I need you here keeping an eye on things."

Diggle walked around the table Oliver was currently occupying so that he could face him. "Not happening. I get that you want Felicity back, I do too, but you're not going without me. We're a team, you need someone to watch your back, and I do. So don't give me any of that dangerous crap, I know what I signed up for. I'll contact Sara, all three of us will be going to get Felicity." He said, expecting Oliver to put up a fight.

Oliver knew where Diggle was coming from, he cared for Felicity. Instead of arguing, Oliver decided to respect Diggle's choice. "Fine, I need to call my mother and let her know that I'm going out of town for a few days to clear my head. Get in touch with Sara, we're meeting Bruce in two hours and she needs to come with us."

Diggle watched Oliver leave before going to Felicity's desk and taking out one of the several burner phones she had stashed there. In the same drawer was the number used to contact Sara. It was through a third party, a friend of Sara's named Sin, it was inconvenient but Sara usually got in touch within minutes.

\---

Felicity wasn't sure what to make of her kidnapper. For being a hostage they were treating her rather well, perhaps it was because they knew she couldn't go anywhere. Mostly, though, it was the extra kind treatment from Lysa that had her on edge. The woman not only chatted with her as if they were old college buddies, but she also had the type of knowledge of her life, that she wouldn't have been able to just research. The only way she could know some of the things about her life, is if she'd been keeping tabs on Felicity for a while. That's what scared her most, this whole affair had nothing to do with her professional work, nor did it involve her connection to the Arrow. No, this was purely personal.

"How do the glasses feel? I tried to get something as close to the ones you had as possible." Lysa said, gesturing to the glasses she was wearing. She gave Felicity the glasses after they ate, explaining that she couldn't risk her own pair having a tracking device. The fact that the prescription and shape was right was, proved how much this person knew about her. It was starting to feel a lot like fatal attraction.

"Umm… yeah, they feel good. I mean, as good as glasses can feel on your face." She silently cursed herself for her inability to remain silent.

Lysa gave her an amused smile, "glad to hear it. We only have about three hours to go before we land, once there I think you'll find your accommodations quite lovely."

Felicity bit her tongue to keep herself from saying something stupid. She was trying her hardest to not poke this bear too much, but the woman's utter lack of understanding was driving her insane. How could she believe she'd enjoy anything about this situation? They could put her in the Four Season and she'd still want to be home.

"Can you tell me where we're going? I mean, I am going to find out when we land, I don't see the danger in telling me," she reasoned.

Lysa seemed to think about it, "I suppose you're right. We'll be landing in London, and we'll remain there for a few weeks before continuing on. Normally, we would have gone straight home but someone wants to see you."

"Where are we going after London… and who wants to see me?" She couldn't hide the slight frenzied edge to her voice; she was slowly losing the shreds of composure she was grasping. She wasn't sure how much longer the liquid GPS would last in her system. She could only hope that Oliver found her before they decided to take her traveling again.

"I think I am done answering questions, for now. In fact, I have been rather accommodating I think I am entitled to some answers myself." Lysa said, keeping her tone friendly but Felicity picked up the subtle threat behind her words.

Felicity studied the woman in front of her, and wondered what circumstances led her to make her the person she was today. On the surface she seemed perfectly normal, she didn't carry the doubt and pain in her eyes like Sara or Oliver. From what she could tell her forehead was smooth and devoid of any stress lines. Felicity guessed Lysa was a few years older than her, but much more beautiful. It was one of the first things she noticed when she could see clearly again. Her kidnapper was a striking woman with long dark brown hair, large blue eyes, surrounded by thick dark lashes, and perfectly shaped eyebrows. However, the woman was obviously unhinged and she hid that fact well.

"Well… what did you want to know?" she asked, hoping that if she played along, maybe she could figure out why she was taken.

"Well, you never answered my original question; why do you dye your hair?"

Felicity was expecting something regarding Oliver or her work at Wayne, not her hair color. This woman's fascination was creepy as fuck. Deciding it's best to just answer her and move on, "My mom was blonde. When I was in high school I started dying it so I'd look more like her."

Lysa seemed to ponder that for a moment, "was it because you didn't feel connected to them, since you were adopted?"

It shouldn't have surprised Felicity that this woman knew she was adopted. It wasn't something she was ashamed of, but it wasn't something she broadcasted. As far as she was concerned Megan and Edward Smoak were her parents, it didn't matter to her that they weren't blood; they were the best parents anyone could ask for. Losing them was the hardest thing she ever had to go through.

"I always felt connected to them. I was fortunate to have such amazing parents that loved and supported me. They never made me question that, not even for a second."

"That's interesting," Lysa began to say, "most kids, adopted or not, go through a phase where they question their parents love. Weren't you ever curious about your real parents?"

While this conversation was getting too personal for Felicity's taste, she felt she didn't have much choice about answering. "When my parents told me I was adopted, they offered to help me track down my parents, if that's what I wanted when I was older. I thought about it a few times, sure, who wouldn't? But the truth is, I was happy with my family and meeting the woman who gave birth to me wouldn't change that…" she felt a pang in her heart. She tried to avoid talking about her parents, she missed them so much. "So I created my own story about my births parents. They were young high school sweethearts, still teenagers when my birth mother was pregnant; they knew they couldn't provide for me so they gave me up for adoption. That's the story I created, it was enough for me."

Lysa had a smug grin on her face, "Hmm, you don't seem like the type that would just walk away from knowing the truth. I learned many things about you, Felicity, and one of them was that you don't like secrets. It's funny really, in most aspects of your life you're an advocate for the truth… yet, you hold so many thing close to your chest. You keep Oliver's secret, you're an accessory to his actions and that doesn't seem to concern you. Why is that?" She asked, making no attempt to hide her mocking.

Felicity was done playing this game, she couldn't keep pretending to be docile. It was pretty obvious that this woman had no intention of killing her at the moment; no she was enjoying herself too much.

"I don't understand what you want from me? Why are you asking me all of these personal questions? You just said, I hold things close, and I do. So please tell me, what makes you think that I'm going to bare my soul to you?"

"There is nothing you can tell me, Felicity Smoak, which I don't already know. The only aspect of your life I have not been privy to are the thoughts in your head."

Felicity's stomach twisted at her statement. "You're really sick, you know that? Why don't you tell me why you're so damn obsessed with me?" She asked, she was done being complacent. These past few months have been hard enough on her, now she had to deal with a deranged stalker.

"Obsessed with you? You think this is just my doing? Well, I hate to break it to you, but while I find you interesting and made it my goal to know about you, there is something much larger going on here. I am not the final destination in this journey. When you realize why it is that we have taken you from your mediocre life, you will be thanking me."

"You may think my life is mediocre, but it's far from. If you think - for even a minute that I'm going to be thanking you from taking me away from people who are like family to me, people who I've come to love and love me in return, you're wrong. You may be deluded into thinking that you're doing me a favor, but nothing you do will change my mind." Feeling incensed, tired of being perceived as weak.

"I guess we'll just have to see then, won't we?"

Felicity knew she'd be getting nowhere with this woman, there was no reasoning with her. Not trusting herself to remain quiet, she closed her eyes and hoped she could fall asleep.

\---

"Are you sure she said she was coming," Oliver asked Diggle as they waited for Sara to arrive. They had arrived to the Gotham airstrip to find Bruce boarded and ready to go, he wasn't happy when he realized Sara hadn't come with them.

Diggle tried not to get annoyed with Oliver, but it was the fifth time he asked the same question. It took him half an hour before he got in touch with Sara, she assured him she would be joining them.

"She'll be here, Oliver. Remember, she's had less time to prepare for this, I mean, she just found out about Felicity. It was an oversight on our part, we should have called her the second Felicity went missing - "

"Yeah, you really should have," Sara's voice cutting Diggle off. "I mean, it's not like Felicity is my friend or anything." She said, walking into the plane and setting a duffle bag behind the empty seat by Diggle.

"Sorry I'm late, I had to put a few things in place to make sure my family is safe." She fastened her seatbelt and looked up at Bruce who was sitting across from her.

"So you're Bruce Wayne," she said, getting his attention. "Felicity told me about you, said you were a progressive thinker." She told him, trying not to react to Oliver's scowl.

Bruce leaned back against his seat and crossed his arms, "Did she? I always assumed she viewed me as somewhat shallow."

"That's the thing about Felicity, she can always see through people's bullshit."

Sara felt terrible when Diggle told her the League had taken Felicity. There was no other reason they'd take her but to get back at Sara. What she didn't understand is why they kidnapped her to take her out of the country, that didn't seem like something the League would do. It didn't make sense. They should've been dangling her as bait to get her back, not running off.

"So any idea where we're headed?" she asked the group of men. She needed to be caught up on the whole situation.

Before Bruce could answer her question, Diggle cut in. "According to her coordinates, they're heading to Europe, any idea why they'd be going there?" He asked Sara.

"I think I can answer that," Bruce chimed in. Sara may have been part of the League, but he was trained by Ra's himself.

Sara and Oliver gave him questioning looks.

"How would you know?" Oliver asked, realizing he never asked Bruce how he knew who David Cain was.

"When I was younger…I traveled around the world learning things I rather not recount. One of the consequences of this education resulted in me being imprisoned. It was there I met a man named Henri, he offered to train me, make me a solider for Ra's al Ghul. Let's just say I wised up real quick and left before I got in too deep. Unlike you I suppose," he said, directing his question to Sara.

Sara stared the man in front of her down, she wasn't totally buying his story and knew he was leaving something out, but now wasn't the time to delve into his history.

"Yeah, well, I guess the League came up with a new rule after you escaped; the only way you leave the League now, is in a body bag. Funny thing is, I've never heard of Henri before and as you know the League keeps itself in the shadows. It's not common for them to recruit a jailed billionaire," she challenged. There was no way the League would have sought out a man like Bruce Wayne, and if they did , they would have never let him leave.

If the look Bruce was giving her was any indication, she hit a nerve. He may be able to lie his way through with Oliver and Diggle, but she knew what they were really up against and it wasn't pretty. Maybe Felicity wasn't taken because of her, she thought, maybe the reason was sitting across from her.

Diggle and Oliver picked up the tension between Sara and Bruce. If it wasn't because they were on a shared mission and in the air, they were sure a fight would have broken out.

"Well, you seem to be surviving rather well," Bruce threw back at her, "the League is old, I doubt you've been privy to everything."

"Hey," Diggle intercepted, "this isn't about either of you. You two want to have a pissing match when this is over then be my guests, until then, keep your eye on the prize."

Oliver was still confused on what was happening between Sara and Bruce, the animosity seemed to come out of nowhere.

"No, when this is over, I want an explanation. Both of you are hiding something and I swear to god, if it affects getting Felicity back and you're keeping it quiet I will end both of you." Oliver promised, he was not going to let anything get in his way of getting Felicity back.

"Look, right now we need to put all our shit aside and work together as a team. So far all I see is too many alphas." Diggle leaned forward resting his arms on his knees, "we're a unit for this mission and we need to act that way. Everyone needs to leave their ego at the door and work together, because I don't care what you know or what you've done, all I want is my friend back safely."

Sara pursed her lips, "he's right, we need to concentrate on getting Felicity back."

Bruce knew Oliver expected full disclosure, much like he demanded, but he wouldn't be getting it. "Well, we're going to need a game plan. I'm positive they'll be landing in London, it's one of their biggest headquarters in Europe."

"It's also one of the most guarded. It's where Ra's conducts his business, where he takes his associates." Sara added, remembering the few times she had been there. Getting in wouldn't be the impossible part, getting out, that's a different story.

Oliver asked questions about the League's headquarters, while Diggle jotted down the pertinent information. There was four of them and hundreds guarding, according to Sara and Bruce. Oliver wasn't worried though, he couldn't be, and he only had one thought, one goal - getting Felicity back.

\---

Lysa looked at her captive; who gave up trying to sleep a while ago. She didn't mean to be insensitive to her plight, but her constant denial angered her. If she could only tell her what was in store for her, she was sure she'd be more welcoming. As it was, Felicity spent the last few hours ignoring her. She decided best not to push her, it was too soon. Once they landed and Felicity realized Lysa's place in her life she'd come around.

They were going to be landing soon and she had one more piece of business before arriving. She got up and walked towards the men in the front of the plane, she didn't spare Felicity a glance. The men were talking in hushed whispers but quickly quieted when she approached.

"David, I need you to get in touch with my father," she told him.

"What would you like me to tell him, Nyssa?"

"Let him know that his daughters will be arriving home shortly, and to have his best men pick us up."

"Of course," he agreed.

She left him to do as he was told and made her way back to Felicity. Their first order of business would be to dye her hair back to its natural color."


	6. Chapter 6

After landing Felicity was shoved into a large SUV with Lysa and her guard. Lysa had ignored her for the remainder of the flight, she wasn't sure if that was a good thing. She was obviously offended at Felicity's rejection, and the pragmatic part of her told her she should have played along, but she couldn't help herself. The fact that this woman really believed that she'd come around and be thankful for the total uprooting of her life, was crazy. The most baffling thing was that she felt Lysa actually felt something for her, her caring wasn't an act. Would that make her chances of survival greater or would they work against her. Lysa obviously had some fantasy she wanted to fulfill and Felicity was part of that, but what if she couldn't play along? She knew eventually Oliver would realize that the reason for her kidnapping was a lie, and he'd come looking for her, of that she was sure.

She also assumed that Bruce had activated her GPS and would be able to track her. She didn't know how much longer the GPS signal would last; she and Bruce were the first test subjects, so there was no other data for comparison. She just hoped it was the first thing he did when realizing she was taken. If what Lysa said about him was true, that he was the Batman, then he would be looking for her.

It was the first time in years that she had something to lose. After her parents deaths she felt so alone and isolated, with little family left, most of whom she never kept in touch with, she wouldn't have been missed. However, when Oliver came into her life with a bullet riddled laptop that all changed. She became a part of something bigger than her, something while illegal, she was proud of. It was through that journey that she forged her own family, people she had to come to love as if she'd known them forever. Her lonely life became exciting, she found purpose through her work with Arrow, she found family, and she found love. She wondered if she'd see Oliver again. She knew he was sorry for how things happened between them, and though she still wasn't at a place where she could fully forgive, she'd give anything for him to know that she still loved him.

She looked out the window as the city of London passed her by. She contemplated opening the door and jumping out to try to get away, but the door didn't have a handle. This was not the first time they wanted to keep someone inside, she surmised. She peeked over to Lysa, who was staring at her smirking as if she could read the thoughts running through her head.

"We have a bit of a ride," She said, "our home is a couple hours outside of London. I think you'll find the Sheffield house to be rather lovely."

She had no idea where Sheffield was in regards to London, it was her first time in England. She wondered how they managed to smuggle her here without having to go through customs.

"Can't wait," she muttered, not really wanting to chat.

"Don't worry, dear, it will all become clear to you soon."

Felicity didn't answer her, it was best to just keep her mouth shut.

The tension between Sara and Bruce remained prominent throughout the flight. Oliver knew there was something there, brewing beneath the surface. He knew it was a risk to have them hash things out before getting Felicity back, but he wasn't sure ignoring would help them. It was obvious the two did not trust each other, which would only hinder them in trying to penetrate the Leagues quarters.

Diggle had also remained freakishly silent, but he knew that he was worried for Felicity. They hashed out their plan for when they arrived to Ra's al Ghul's headquarters. It would be Diggle's responsibility to get Felicity out while the other three keep the Leagues soldier's at bay. Both Sara and Bruce objected, saying they both had more experience dealing with the league, and could better protect Felicity. He knew they had a point but he knew Diggle would fight the hardest to make sure Felicity made out safely, and unscathed. As long as they followed through and keep the opposition busy, it could work.

But they couldn't win if they didn't trust each other, and it was clear that Bruce and Sara had conflict.

"I think there's one more thing we need to take care of before landing," Oliver began to say, getting everyone's attention.

Diggle's eyebrow hiked in question, "what's that?"

"Not what… who. I need to know what's going on here," he explained, gesturing to Bruce and Sara. "Don't think that either of you have been any good at hiding your dislike for one another."

Bruce gave Oliver an appraising look, before tightening his mouth into a frown. "I am not hiding anything, I don't trust her. She's obviously the reason they took Felicity… meaning they want her back, badly."

He turned his attention to Sara, who was cutting her eyes at him and fisting her hands. "Tell us, Sara, why does the League want you so badly? This is a lot of trouble and exposure for them, there must be something very valuable about you."

"You have a lot of nerve for a guy who dresses up as a large bat on his free time. Have you stopped to think that maybe they're after you? It's funny that Felicity gets taken right after she starts working for Wayne." She accused, he temper getting the best of her.

"Plus, the league doesn't release anyone, you're no different. It sounds like they're making a move against you, not me. They would have taken someone from my family to get my attention," she told him, "you don't have any family left, so it makes sense they took your biggest asset."

Bruce leaned forward in his chair, the seat belt holding him in place. "You have a lot of nerve little bird, I walked away from the league when I learned what they were really about – destruction. You sat around and allowed them to make you a killer; they invested much more in you."

Sara was about to undo her seatbelt and let the arrogant idiot have it, but Diggle's voice stopped her.

"Enough!" Diggle yelled, tired of all the arguing. "I don't care why they took Felicity, that's not our problem at the moment. Once we get Felicity back safely then we can try to figure out what or who they want, until then put your shit aside. This isn't about either of you right now."

"Dig's right, you two need to learn to get along for Felicity's sake. If nothing else you both should be able to do that for her, I know everyone here cares for her."

Oliver hoped that they'd both be able to keep their heads in the game, once they were back home they could go at it for all he cared.

They both had valid points though and he couldn't help but wonder if Felicity was a pawn to get to one of them. At first he thought it was to get back at Sara, especially since Felicity worked as her messenger. But when he found out Bruce also had ties to the league, he wasn't so sure anymore. Bruce Wayne would be quite the commodity for the League, he was a prominent figure. He'd have connections they could use, it would make sense to want him to return.

He wondered if this was all a ploy to get one or both of them to return… would they still put Felicity's safety first? He wanted to trust them, especially Sara, but when they landed he'd pull Diggle aside and make sure they had a plan B. There was no way he was leaving London without Felicity, no matter what.

They pulled into a long driveway, after going through a security gate, Felicity could see a large house at the end of it. If you could call the large imposing structure a house, she wasn't even sure mansion was the proper term. The house must have been twice the size of the Queen home, with much less flourish. It was a Victorian style home but the guards standing outside the front door made the structure seem dreary and those walking along the property were off putting. There was no way she'd be able to slip away, she realized. She should have known better but she couldn't help hoping that she'd find a way out of here.

The car came to stop and Felicity could feel her stomach revolting. Taking deep breaths she tried to keep herself from vomiting at the thought that she'd never get out of this.

"There is something you should know," Lysa said, distracting her for a moment.

"What's that," she asked, ignoring the irrational part of her that told her to ignore the woman.

"When we were talking on the plane I couldn't risk you recognizing me, so I lied about my name." She told Felicity, extending her hand out the scared blonde. "I promise, there will be no more lies, I'm Nyssa."

Felicity looked at the offered hand and back up at the woman, ignoring her hand.

"Why would I recognize that name?" She asked, genuinely confused, was she missing something?

Nyssa pulled her hand back and tried to mask her surprise. "Are you not friends with the Canary? I know for a fact you were sending messages for her as she hid from us like a coward."

"Yes, I know her. I just don't understand why that means I'd know you. And it's not Sara's fault she was in hiding, she has a right to live her own life without fear."

Nyssa was annoyed that she was defending Sara, this was her sister. Not that she knew yet, she was under strict instructions to keep her in the dark. "You still haven't put it all together yet, have you?"

"You mean that you're a member of the League? Yeah, I just did, though I should have figured it out sooner. I guess you'll be using me to lure her back." She said unhappy that she got caught up in Sara's fight but not wanting Sara to give herself up either.

"No. I told you on the plane this is to keep you safe, it's for your own good. We no longer care about the Canary, she can live out the rest of her life in hiding, waiting for us to strike. It's rather poetic don't you think? She left to be free, but she'll never truly ever be free, she'll live her life waiting, wondering, on edge, lurking in darkness. What greater revenge can I serve?" She asked, satisfied with herself.

Felicity felt sick, she always tried to see the best in people but there was none in this woman. She was cold and calculating, she claimed to care for her but Felicity had a feeling she'd be discarded the moment she was disappointed.

"Well, let's go, there is someone special dying to meet you."

Felicity followed her out of the car and into the house, she was unnerved by the man that was following closely behind her. Would this be her life now, under constant guard, never a moment alone?

She followed Nyssa down a long hallway, she counted the doors along the way, it was at the fifth one they entered. She tried to memorize her surroundings; there were a set of stair directly across the door they entered. All of the doors along the way were closed so she had no idea what was behind them.

The room they were currently in looked like a study, the bookshelves were filled with old book in several languages. There were cases filled with weapons, swords hung above a mantle, a Persian rug was settled in the center of the floor, a single chair in the center. This was not a room for company, this room served a purpose, she couldn't call it an arsenal because there weren't enough weapons for all the guards she saw, but this was a scary personal collection. This put Oliver's arsenal to shame.

Nyssa led her to the single wooden chair. Seating herself she started to become nervous, this felt like a prelude to her execution. She tried to tell herself that if they wanted her dead they would have killed her in Gotham, but her current position didn't make her feel very confident. Maybe she should have played along with Nyssa instead of allowing her temper to get the best of her.

Nyssa noticed Felicity's demeanor change and a part of her was satisfied that she was nervous, though another side of her wanted to comfort her.

"Don't worry, we don't bite," Nyssa told her trying to relieve some of her tension.

Felicity didn't respond, she couldn't help but be nervous. She tried her best to put on a brave face but she couldn't, she could only pretend for so long. Trying not to think about she instead concentrated on twirling the ring on her finger. It was the only thing they didn't remove, she didn't know why, but she was thankful. It was one of the few mementos from her mother, she cherished it.

After what felt like an hour but she was sure was only five minutes, the door open from behind her. She didn't turn her head around to see who it was, but she did take a deep breath.

A tall man dressed all in black walked by her, not even sparing her a glance. He walked over to one of the cases and put away a set of knives.

"I didn't expect my girls to arrive so soon," he said, not bothering to turn around.

Girls? Felicity thought, was this man suffering the same illness as Nyssa?

"Surprisingly, father, there was little traffic," Nyssa told him, standing to the right of Felicity. So this man was her father, and from what she could tell from the others in the room whom were standing at attention, he was high up in power.

The man turned to face her, slowly making his way closer to her. He was older, she noticed, late fifties, cold blue eyes, light hair and a goatee. He was dressed like the rest of the guards, cloaked in black, wearing boots, and leather gloves. He stopped right in front of her and squatted down so he was at eye level.

"I never thought I'd see you in the flesh." He told her, leaving her confused.

"I decided so many years ago that you wouldn't work in this world and you were better off in the regular world, but I was wrong."

Felicity's heart raced at his words, she wanted to pretend that it didn't make sense but all of the hints Nyssa gave on the plane, the concern over her life, the questions about her family. It couldn't be, there was no way. "I… I, um, I don't understand," she said in a low whisper.

The man looked amused, "I doubt that. Someone as smart as you, top of her class at MIT, summa cum laude, rising star at Wayne Enterprises, partner to the vigilante, messenger for the Canary, innovator… I can go on. I know it all, I have it memorized. Just because I couldn't be there doesn't mean I missed anything. I was content watching from afar keeping myself informed, I never thought you'd be one for this life. But then you gave it all up for a cause, to help the Arrow. That proved to me that even though I wasn't there to raise you, you were still my daughter."

No, Felicity thought, it couldn't be true. "There has to be a mistake, I think you've been keeping track of the wrong person. I am not your daughter, I may have been adopted but that doesn't mean you're my father."

Ra's stood up and took a few steps back. "Look at me, you have my eyes. You're the spitting image of your mother, once the hair is back to its natural color there would be no way even you could deny the resemblance." He told her, pulling a photo out of his pocket and handing it to her.

The woman staring back at her did bare a scary resemblance, it was possible this was her mother, she admitted. "This doesn't prove that you're my father," she told him, not willing to accept this.

He looked disturbed at her words but didn't say anything. Instead, he walked to the table and pulled out a file. "I had the forethought to have proof. When you went to the doctor for your physical, he also did a paternity test," he told her handing her the documentation.

"This should be enough to overcome your doubts, if not, I'd be happy to take another."

Felicity studied the paper he gave her, she knew it was true, she knew it in her gut but she wasn't ready to accept it. "Why now?" she asked, not understanding what good could come of this.

"Like I said, I never thought you'd be able to handle my world but I was wrong. You're stronger than you look, and with time you'll be as good of an assassin as your sister." He told her.

"No. I'm not a killer, I've never hurt anyone working for the Arrow and I won't start."

"Is that what you think, that you're innocent? Every name you researched for him, every time you used your skill, and he killed in the name of justice makes you just as guilty. You may have not shot the arrow but you guided it. You hunted down his targets but left the dirty work for him, allowing you to be free of the guilt. You are my daughter! I should have brought you home sooner; I shouldn't have left you to regular people."

She wanted to argue, to scream that he was wrong, that she wasn't a killer. But it was true, she supported Oliver, and though she tried to help him be better, she knew sometimes he'd have to kill. "No, you may have been part of my genealogy but you're not my father. He died, with my mother, the Smoaks they were my parents they loved me."

"Are you saying we can't love you? I do love you and your sister, you're both my family and I will protect you no matter what. At the moment you're more of a liability but once Nyssa and I have trained you, you will discover what it is like to hunt and kill."

"You're crazy, I won't be killing for you or anyone. You want what's best for me then let me go home." She begged, knowing that any situation she originally imagined was nowhere near as bad.

"You are home. It's too late to get you used to a new name and I'm sure you're fond of being called Felicity, but your mother and I always dreamed of naming you Talia. Talia al Ghul."

It was that moment that Felicity realized she was truly screwed, this man, her father, wasn't just a person of power for the league – he was the league. She was Ra's al Ghul's daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to post this after I posted in on FF last week. I'm going to try to remember to post on both sites at the same time. Sorry about that. Enjoy!


	7. Chapter 7

Felicity followed Nyssa upstairs to what would be her room, or at least that's what she was told. She was still trying to swallow the fact that she was the daughter of Ra's al Ghul. She tried to find the resemblance between herself and Nyssa, besides the eyes, there wasn't much. As for her father, she couldn't get passed his cold hard eyes to find a resemblance.

She wondered if they would have left her alone if Sara remained with them. She knew it wasn't her fault and she brushed her unkind thoughts aside. Sara had the right to freedom, real freedom, not the kind Nyssa described in the car.

Nyssa opened the door, at the end of the upstairs hallway. "Here we are," she said, holding the door open for Felicity and following her inside. "This will be your room until we leave for home," she told her shutting the door behind her.

Felicity looked around the rooms hoping to find anything she could use to send a message to Oliver, but the room was very basic.

"That door," Nyssa pointed to the door on the left side of the room, "is your bathroom. We've stocked the closet with clothing in your size so feel free to bathe. Also, the windows can only be opened from the outside, and there are guards below."

"That's a fire hazard," Felicity said. "If this place goes up in flames and I can't get out then all the trouble you went through to find me would be pointless."

"As I said, there are guards stationed below your window. If there's a fire one of them will climb up and open the window for you, the other will bring you to safety. Don't worry, they have been instructed to guard your life with their own."

"Great. Thanks, that's very comforting." She muttered.

"Well, I'll leave you to it. Feel free to explore the house, just know you'll never be alone." Nyssa explained, turning towards the door.

"Wait," Felicity called out, "I was wondering if you'd answer some questions for me."

"What type of questions?"

"Um… about our mother," Felicity said, nervously chewing on her bottom lip.

Nyssa walked over to the bed and seated herself, she gestured for Felicity to join her. She waited until Felicity was settled to begin.

"We do not share the same mother, but I do know a little about her. My father would be the right person to ask, but I'll share what I know. Her name was Jaqueline; she met our father at a festival in France. Our father has a few photos of her, you look like her."

Felicity was hoping for a little more information, "do you know what happened to her?"

Nyssa never liked to play all of her cards, but she thought this may be a way of getting Felicity to accept her family. "She was a French woman, when she met our father it was in the early years of the League, smaller than it is today. They shared the same ideals; she wasn't put off by his views for the future, for the world. She was the first woman who Ra's felt could handle our lives. She didn't mind that he had a daughter and the little time I spent with her; I remember it being pleasant." She got off the bed, and pulled the desk chair over so she could face Felicity better.

"However, when you're involved in something like the League, especially in its earlier days when it didn't have the same amount of power and connections, people want to take hurt you. There were several attempts on our lives, it was during one of these attempts that Jaqueline learned she was pregnant." She explained, a faraway look on her face.

"Why didn't she leave? Why didn't she just take you and go? It doesn't make sense to stay around when people are trying to kill you." Felicity said.

"It's that easy, is it? Is that why you haven't cut Oliver Queen from your life completely? Alternatively, perhaps, it's why you landed on the door step of a man much more dangerous. I don't need to explain the effect of love, and how people will do anything to be close to those loved ones. Jaqueline wasn't willing to leave our father, but she knew it was too dangerous for an infant. So when you were born, she and my father agreed to let you go, and allow a normal family to raise you.

They planned to retrieve you once it was safe. However, shortly after you were born, Jaqueline was killed. She asked my father to let you live a normal life, and he agreed."

"What about you? You didn't get a normal life, that doesn't seem fair." She said, thankful for her adoptive parents who gave her the best life possible.

"This is normal to me, Felicity. I've known nothing else. This life, it makes me happy, don't think that because I wasn't raised like you that I was missing something. I learned to take care of myself at a young age. I was training my father's soldiers at fifteen. I am second in command, and when my father dies, the League will be mine."

"Look, I'm not trying to make you feel bad about your life with the League and with your father, but I just don't understand it." She explained, "I'm trying to, but I don't think I ever will. I will never be the sister you want or the daughter he expects. I am not alright with murder, or holding people against their will. I'm not okay with having guards whom I've never met but are expected to give their lives for me."

"You know what I find interesting?" She asked a hint of anger in her voice. "You somehow manage to see the world as only black and white, and in your mind, you live in the white area. But I'm sorry, sister; life is mostly grey, and most of us live and breathe in that area. You are no different. As I said to you earlier, you may not swing the sword that executes, but you're just as much as an executioner. You're worse in fact. You allow someone else to dirty their hands as you watch. You justify your actions because the people you're killing are people that are evil in your eyes; do you ever stop to wonder how you look to them?"

Shaking her head, Felicity disagreed with her assessment. "We stop people like Malcolm Merlyn, someone who wanted to kill thousands of people for a vendetta. We stop people like the doll maker, a person that kidnaps women, kills them, and dresses them as dolls. We're stopping people that are a real threat to society, and Oliver tries to capture. He only kills when left without a choice. So no, I don't think about how those terrible people see us, and I sleep better knowing we make a difference."

"We did not approve of Malcolm Meryln's actions, and I agree that many of those are better off dead. However, that does not make you and Oliver Queen any less guilty. A life is a life, why should you get to decide who is worthy of living? Just because you're a killer with a cause, doesn't make you any less of a killer."

Felicity didn't have a comeback, she knew Nyssa had a point, not that she was interested in admitting it.

"Now, there is a box of dye in your bathroom, you stand out with that gold hair. Anyhow, it's time you begin assimilating, and you can start with the hair." She said, walking out.

Felicity watched her leave. She had no intention of assimilating or dying her hair. She didn't belong in the League of Assassins. She didn't belong with this family.

Nyssa walked into her father's study. Things with Felicity were not panning out as easily as she had anticipated.

"She's secure in her bedroom," Nyssa told her father.

Ra's was seated at his desk, polishing one of his knives. "She's not going to be an easy sell." He told his daughter.

Nyssa moved the chair that was placed in the center of the room, and positioned it in front of his desk. "No, she isn't. I'm not sure this is the right life for her. I can't see her ever being accepting of this."

"You sound like a defeatist." He said, looking up at her. "It will take time, but eventually she'll learn she has no choice but to accept her fate."

Nyssa shook her head; her father really didn't understand Felicity. "What if she doesn't? Forcing her to stay isn't going to make her feel very good about us."

"What are you suggesting, Nyssa? That we turn our backs on her?" He asked, picking up another knife to polish.

"No. I'm suggesting we allow her to make her own choices and hope that she won't cut us out completely. You can't force loyalty at her age, father." As it was she was sure her sister hated them, keeping her against her will won't be doing them any favors.

"We are her family. The loyalty should already exist."

"But to her, we're not. We're just two people she shares blood with; she's given me no reason to think she regards us as more than that."

"Give her time, she just found out." He told her nonchalantly, truth was he wasn't too worried about Felicity.

"Very well, but I do not think it will change anything."

He wondered why Nyssa cared so much whether or not Felicity wanted to stay with them. Why did it matter to Nyssa? It wasn't as if they were doing something wrong to her. By removing her from her pathetic life, they were doing her a favor, one she'd come to understand, with time.

The Next day

Seated on the bed, Felicity was staring out into space. To say she was bored was an understatement. A part of her wanted to walk around and explore the house, see if she could find anything she could use to send a message to Oliver or Diggle. However, she knew that she'd be followed around like a criminal, and the opportunity to get a message out would most likely not happen.

Someone brought her breakfast this morning, and she assumed someone would be showing up with lunch soon. It was obvious that her presence was not necessary nor was it welcomed. She was surprised that Nyssa hadn't come by, surprised and relieved. She knew Nyssa wouldn't be happy that she ignored her order to dye her hair. It was silly, but she would not be giving into that request. They wanted her to assimilate, blend in. Well, that's not who she is. She wasn't going to allow anyone to change who she was, to make her something they deemed acceptable. She wasn't going to be their Talia. She lived as Felicity Smoak her entire life – that's who she was.

The door opening pulled her from her thoughts. She assumed it would be the same man who brought her breakfast this morning, but it was Nyssa instead.

"Well," Nyssa began, "I see you're still blonde. Should I assume you're going to fight me on dying your hair?"

"I would say that's a safe assumption."

"Oh well, have it your way then. It's not as if it won't eventually grow out." She said, "Anyhow, I'm not here about your hair."

"Well, what can I do for you?" Felicity asked, not really caring what she had to say.

"I'm going to tell you how to get out."

Her statement snapped Felicity out of her daze. "What?"

Nyssa sat down beside her, lowering her voice. "I'm going to tell you how you can escape from here. But you'll have to do exactly as I say."

Felicity wasn't sure what to think. It made no sense for Nyssa to let her go. "Is this some sort of trap? Are you trying to get me killed? Because I don't see why you'd let me go after working so hard to bring me here."

"I'm not letting you go," she began to say, "and lower your voice. You're going to escape. It's the only way you'll ever get to leave. You need to do so while we're still in England, because once we reach Nanda Parbat, there will be no way for you to slip away."

"Won't he just come after me?" She asked, nervously wondering if she could really pull something like that off.

"I will deal with our father. It so happens that there is a threat looming on his horizon, and that is what he will be concentrating on." Getting up from the bed, "I will be by later to explain to you what needs to be done."

"Why are you helping me?" Felicity asked, before she could walk away.

Turning around to look at her sister, "Unlike what you must think, we are not monsters."

Oliver and Diggle stood across the street from Ra's' compound, they tried to remain inconspicuous. The front of the property had security cameras, and the main gate was monitored by guards. Bruce and Sara had said the only way onto the property would be through the back, and even that would be well guarded.

They already agreed on a plan. They'd attack tonight, and they'd do so from the woods behind the house. Oliver just wanted to see things for himself, he never liked only having one exit, and wanted to see if he could find another way out.

They agreed that Diggle would get Felicity out while they covered them, and Oliver had every intention of sticking close by. They walked further down the block and turned down the street, following the cement fencing of the house. The block was a dead end with nothing but woods beyond the street. They turned around and made their way down the opposite direction.

It wouldn't hurt to keep a second vehicle on the block over, if worst came to worst, they could try to jump the fence and make a run for it. It wasn't the most elegant of backup plans but there was nothing else he could think of. All he wanted was to get Felicity and everyone else back home safely.

Diggle looked over at Oliver, he'd been following his lead all morning. "You know we're going to get her back." He said, hoping to ease a little of the tension.

"I'm not worried about getting her back," Oliver said, "I'm worried about keeping her. What's not to say that the league won't come after her again? I just don't know how we can protect her."

"Hey," Diggle called out, placing a hand on this shoulder to get him to stop walking. "We'll figure it out. Right now, let's just worry about getting her out of there. Once she's home, we'll keep her safe. We'll find a way."

"You're right," Oliver admitted.

"Isn't that always the case?" Diggle said with a little humor.

Sara wasn't happy about being left alone with Bruce. They were currently in the hotel room Oliver rented laying low. They decided it was best of neither of them came out during the day, just in case one of Ra's' men recognized them. When Oliver said that he and Diggle were going out to do a little recon, she wanted nothing more but to join them.

Instead, here she was stuck in a room with Bruce Wayne. He was the one that got away; Ra's never referred to him as such, but she knew he had many regrets when it came to Bruce. Needless, to say having such a powerful figure as part of the league would have been an incredible feat.

Bruce, however, turned out to not have the stomach for the League's methods, neither did she, but she was not given a choice in the matter. After years of being a faithful servant to the cause, she was tired. The killing was slowly eating away at what little soul she had left. When she saw that small window of opportunity, she took it. Maybe, she was at fault for Felicity's current situation, maybe Bruce was… all she knew was that Felicity didn't deserve that life.

If things went to shit today, if they failed; she was ready to trade herself for Felicity's freedom. It was the only right thing to do. She just wasn't sure the League would take her back.

Bruce was sitting on the couch pretending to watch the news. The truth was that he was watching Sara pace through his peripheral vision. He didn't trust her enough to relax. Her presence made him feel on edge. Her time with the league no matter how long or short was enough to make him question her. How could Oliver be willing to trust someone who was a willing member of the League? He may have received his training from Ra's al Ghul, but as soon as he realized what he stood for he left. Ra's and his ideals were a cancer, one that had managed to spread and grow throughout the years. Sara was a product of that.

He knew she was not much happier being stuck here with him, but she managed to ignore him for the most part. Her concern for Felicity felt real, but he just wasn't sure it wasn't an act. The thought that she was the reason behind Felicity's capture made him feel better about himself, but he was honest enough to admit this could all be about him. He knew that one-day Ra's would return, he knew he was not a man to let things go. Perhaps, having Felicity work for him gave him the opportunity he needed. After all, she wasn't just connected to him and Sara, she was also connected to the Arrow.

Felicity was a woman with secrets and dangerous friends. She'd always be a target to those that discovered her connections.

Felicity was nervously chewing on her thumbnail. Nyssa came by earlier giving her instructions. At 8:17, she'd have less than a minute to make it out of her window, which Nyssa managed to unlock so she could push it open. She didn't know how Nyssa managed to do that, and she wasn't about to ask. She was freaking out enough about having to climb out the window, dangle as far down as she could and fall the rest of the way. Nyssa said it wasn't high enough where she'd be seriously injured and gave her instructions on how to land properly. Needless to say she'd never jump out of a second-story window before. Sure, she's flown through a few windows with Oliver, but he was always holding onto something.

She wondered if she should trust Nyssa, the woman did kidnap her after all. Why was she so willing to let her go now? It didn't add up, but she couldn't let the opportunity pass by. If this ended up being a trap, she'd deal with that later.

At exactly 8:17, Felicity found herself gripping the window ledge trying not to look down. From what she could tell when she climbed out, there was no one around. Still the small drop made her heart race. She knew she didn't have time for indecisiveness, taking a deep breath she let go and tried to remember to separate and brace her legs. When she hit the ground, she forgot everything Nyssa instructed and did the things she said not to, she broke her fall with her arm. She managed to land on the balls of her feet but quickly lost balance and shot out her right arm to catch herself. Her momentum was too much for her, and she felt her wrist snap. Clutching her wrist in her other hand, she tried to remain as quiet as possible. Luckily, her legs and feet were fine, which was a blessing because she had to run across the field and wait for Nyssa in the woods.

She wondered where everyone was, none of the guards were around. Did Nyssa call some mandatory assassin meeting, or something?

"I tripped the alarm. We don't have assassin meetings," Nyssa said, making Felicity jump. She didn't realize that she was talking to herself aloud.

"I see you injured yourself," Nyssa shook her head, disappointed. "Did you not listen to my instructions?"

"I did listen but when I was dangling from the window, I couldn't remember everything we went over."

Letting out an annoyed sigh, Nyssa handed her a robe. "Put this on, try to cover as much of your face as possible with the hood."

Felicity did as instructed, it was hard maneuvering the closure with her bad wrist, but she managed.

Once she was dressed, Nyssa grabbed her wrist and pressed down.

"Ow! What are you doing?" Felicity asked, in pain.

Nyssa let go of her, "It's not broken just a sprain." She told her.

"Oh, okay," she said lamely.

"No be quiet and follow me."

Oliver, Diggle, Bruce, and Sara silently made their way through the woods behind the house. Everything was so eerily quiet it was disconcerting. Sara felt something was off. They were approaching the property and has yet to see anyone.

"Guys," she began, "something's not right here." She whispered.

"She's right," Bruce agreed, surprising Sara. "We should have come across guards by now, this is not normal."

Oliver was on high alert, what if they were walking into a trap?

"Oliver, do you hear that," Diggle asked on a whisper.

Oliver concentrated for a moment, "shuffling, someone is coming this way."

The four of them dispersed, wanting to catch whoever it was off guard.

Two guards came into view, but before Oliver could act Sara and Bruce pounced on them.

Sara's guard went down without a fight, and he could have sworn her heard a feminine yell. Bruce's guard, however, was putting up quite the fight. He and Diggle ran forward to help Bruce, who was struggling against his opponent. He didn't stop to wonder why Sara was hunched over on the ground speaking to the guard.

He kicked out the guard's leg; he faltered but didn't go down, and instead he turned and released an arrow. Oliver managed to get out of the way without getting hit. Grabbing an arrow of his own, he had it nock ready to release when a voice stopped him.

"Stop!" Felicity yelled out, working her way off the ground. When Sara knocked her down, all of her weight fell on her left knee, which was currently killing her. Once Sara realized it was her, she felt terrible.

Oliver turned at Felicity's voice, loosening his grip on his Arrow and lowering his bow. Before he could muster up a word, he was struck across the face with the guard's bow.

"Nyssa!" Felicity yelled, hobbling her way over to Oliver.

"He deserved it for wasting our time, of which we are currently almost out of." She turned her attention to Bruce, "what a waste. Whatever potential my father once saw in you is obviously gone, you fight like a commoner. Follow me if you want to leave, alive." She said, walking over to Felicity and dragging her along.

"Why are you helping us?" Oliver asked, realizing that they just hindered Felicity's escape plan.

Without bothering to look at him, "I will allow Felicity to fill you in, if she cares to. I, however, owe you no explanations."

"You may not owe us an explanation, but I know your father. He's not going to be happy with you." Bruce said.

Nyssa stopped walking and turned around, still holding onto Felicity. "You're right. However, you've idiots have given the perfect excuse. You tripped the alarm; you released Felicity. You will be on his radar now."

"Nyssa," Sara said, getting her attention, upset that she didn't even acknowledge her presence. "Please, it doesn't have to be that way. We just want Felicity back. It's not her fault that I ran away."

"You hear that, Felicity? They think this is about them. Why wouldn't they, they assume their value is so much higher than yours… do you want to tell them?"

Oliver was looking between the two women, who seemed to be having a silent conversation. "What's going on?"

"As I said, I will allow your love to tell you. Oh… but she's not yours any more is she? No, she moved on to Bruce Wayne, the bigger of the two small fish."

"Stop it, Nyssa. I know you're mad, but they have nothing to do with it. I can't be that person you want me to be. I'm sorry." Felicity said, as opposed as she was to have any connection to the league, she knew there was more to Nyssa. Truth was, she would like to know her sister better, but not at the price of giving up her life.

"Why don't you come with us?" she suggested.

"Absolutely not," Bruce began. "I know you have a soft spot for damaged people, but she's a killer."

"Everyone standing here is a killer, even me," she said. "Just think about it. You can have so much more than this life, Nyssa."

"It's not a bad idea," Sara interjected.

"No. This is my life. This is where I belong. You didn't want to be here, you had no interest in our family, so I am setting you free. You don't get to have it both ways."

"Family?" Diggle asked, "Felicity?"

Felicity looked at the four people who came cross-country to save her, she didn't want to keep anything from them. "Nyssa is my sister, Ra's al Ghul is my biological father."

"Oh my god," Sara muttered, "You're Talia?"

"No. I'm Felicity, but I'm told that my biological parents were going to name me Talia."

"I don't care who your family is. It makes no difference to me or to any of us." Oliver told her, he wanted to be close to her, but he was unsure where they stood.

"So this has nothing to do with me or Sara. They took you because they want you to join the family business?'' Bruce asked.

"Imagine that, something that doesn't revolve around Bruce Wayne, incredible isn't it?" Nyssa said smugly. "This is as far as I go. I suggest you run, and you run fast. It won't be long before she's found missing. Don't wait around, go back to the states, I can keep my father occupied."

Felicity was torn. She wanted nothing more than to go home, but she found herself sad at leaving her sister. She didn't spend much time with her and the little she did, she was angry at herself for not being willing to get to know her. "Will I ever see you again?" She asked, hoping it wouldn't be the last time she'd see Nyssa, even if she has no desire to know her father.

"I don't know what the future holds." Nyssa told her, "I spent a long time wanting to find you. Though, things didn't go the way I hoped, I don't regret it. Take care, Felicity, and stay away from the Arrow and the Batman, they will just get you killed." She said, whispering the last part.

Felicity watched Nyssa walk away and felt a pang of regret. She knew she was making the right choice; she didn't belong in this lifestyle. But she had a sister now, one she'd never get to know.

She wondered why Sara seemed so bereft, she barely said a word the whole time, but she was silently staring at where Nyssa had walked off to.

"Felicity, we need to go," Oliver told her pulling her from her musing. She took the offered hand and followed him out.

She wondered how Ra's would react to her disappearance. She wondered if Nyssa would be okay. She was curious as to why Sara seemed so sad and Bruce so smug. She didn't even get a chance to talk to Diggle or give him a hug. Everything was just happening so quickly that she couldn't process.

Could you love someone you just met, she wondered. Could she love someone like Nyssa so easily, was there really something to having a bond with a sibling? She had all of these questions. She just didn't know. The only thing she was sure of was that she had a family in Oliver, Diggle, and Sara… but she still had the space and desire for a newly found sister. She just wished she would have realized it before.

I'm so sorry for the wait, guys. So I managed to get the FLU at the tail-end of the season. I've been out of commission for almost three weeks. I can finally sit at the computer without my eyes crossing. Thank you all for the reviews, I know some of you had questions, and those I didn't respond to is because you will get answers later on. As for Nyssa, I didn't base her on Katrina Law, she's more of the Marion Cotillard/Talia character from DKR, just like Ra's is based off Liam Neeson. Also, I'm not following any comic canon, I know that was a question. This is just a slight hybrid of characters from TDK trilogy and Arrow. I'm not familiar with the comics outside of what I can read up online. Also, we will be seeing Felicity's bio family again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so terrible at updating on this site. I'm sorry. I'm going to try to remember to do it when I update on FF.net.

**Author's Note:**

> So I decided to bring this over from Fanfic.net
> 
> Also, I don't know if this format works well for this site. If it's hard to read, let me know and I'll change the spacing.
> 
> Enjoy!


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